Demons Among Us
by Octopusfan13
Summary: Liz was cryo-frozen and 300 years later cured by her descendant. The future sucked, but she could always make things interesting. Dib was ecstatic about Liz moving in because she believed him, but then she began to make observations about him and society, and he realized nothing would be the same for him or the two Irkens down the street. ZADR, OCxSkoodge, Rated M eventually
1. Chapter 1

Honey eyes gazed back into honey eyes as the sibling pair squeezed hands trying to give each other whatever comfort they could. One sibling had long raven hair with two zig-zagging locks framing her face, the other had a zig-zagging lightening-like lock of raven hair on top of his head. The older of the two patted his younger sibling on her head with then cupped her face.

"Don't worry," he said trying to keep his voice calm and confident. "I will find a cure."

"I know," the teen girl of seventeen said trying to sound brave. "Dizzy always protects Lizzy," she said using a joking phrase they had from childhood, though both of them knew Liz didn't need anyone to protect her. She could take care of herself, thank you. But she couldn't protect herself from, well, herself. Her own body was rejecting her. Her infected DNA turning on itself, making her tired, sick, and coughing blood. She had a year left and that months ago. In the meantime her science-crazy and crazy-genius brother had been working his ass off inventing a way to cryo-freeze her until he could find a cure. And the crazy bastard did it.

"Dizzy always protects Lizzy," Diz repeated the phrase and kissed his younger sister on her forehead. He gave her hand one last squeeze before finally letting go and stepping back, clearing himself from the cryo-tube's door. "See you on the other side," he said with a faint smile. Liz rolled her eyes. Her brother did not like the supernatural, so she had been about to retort on his bad attempt at a joke when he closed the case and activated the freezing process. He had always been bad at good-byes.

Diz stared down at the now frosted window into the tube. He hadn't thought that through, he couldn't see his sister, not even in her sleeping state. He placed his hand on the cold window and softly whispered. "Good-bye, Lizzy."

Over the next few years Diz worked all waking hours trying to find a cure for his sister, all failures and he soon ran out of funding and exhausted all his previous sources. So he took on side research jobs to fund his research for his sister. More years passed and still no luck, at least with his sister's cure. No matter how much he contributed to the science and medical field, no matter how well his small research lab was doing, Diz knew he wasn't even close.

Science, the available research, technology and progress in genetics wasn't advanced enough. He began to accept that he wouldn't find a cure in his lifetime and maybe not for a few lifetimes. His days grew dark and depressing, but a fellow scientist, one of his friends, someone whom had been there for both him and Lizzy since the beginning helped him pull though. She loved the man who loved his sister and Diz soon realized he loved her too.

They got married and had kids, a son who loved science as much as his daddy. The little boy heard all the stories of his sleeping auntie and when he became old enough he helped with his father's work until he took it over completely. In the process they helped cure many diseases and made many advancements. Eventually, the son also married, had children and told them the stories. The daughter who loved science decided to continue the new family tradition and helped her father and grandfather in their work until she too had children.

And so the family legacy went for many more generations until one child was born with a genius that surpassed his ancestors, however he had no interest for the stories passed on. His love was for science only. He became famous, made many inventions and took the family research facility and made it into a successful world renown business, he even had his own TV show. But while he had no interest in the stories he still set a team dedicated to studying and trying to find a cure for the unknown disease, as it was a family tradition. His focus became Real Science and he soon forgot about the research lab. However, the research team had heard the stories and thought them romantic so they diligently sought to find a cure.

Eventually the latest member of the family also had children, though his children were a product of Real Science and not natural birth. After they were created he moved onto the next invention and left his offspring to their own devices. Years passed as his children grew and unfortunately neither child showed any interest in Real Science. The research team knew this and worked harder than ever to find a cure, believing that they were the last hope for the sleeping girl. One scientist in particular was more dedicated than any other to find a cure.

When this scientist first entered the Membrane Institute he had heard of a team dedicated to looking for a cure for an unknown disease, which sounded like something important and so he applied to the team hoping to get to work with Professor Membrane himself. However, the subject they were trying to find a cure for was unique and curing the disease had no impact or use to society, but it was a clause in the company creed that a team had to be dedicated to this task.

At first the scientist had been bitter about his decision, until he heard about the subject's origins. The female subject was a third generation Membrane, one of the Professor's ancestors from three hundred years ago and if he couldn't work with the Professor, this was the next best thing in the scientist's eyes.

He soon realized why this research was the less popular team, the disease wasn't anything that they had ever seen before and it couldn't be isolated or even replicated in other subjects. The disease was only affecting the subject, thus curing it would have no benefit to society. Again he became disappointed, until the end of his first month on the team. They had run out of blood samples to experiment on. Curious as to what the next step for them would be, the scientist went to the team supervisor and reported on the depletion of samples.

The supervisor nodded and said that it was time to take more. He explained that because the disease could not be replicated in other test samples, they had to take infected blood directly from the subject. In order to do so they had to unfreeze the body just enough to get a viable blood sample without triggering the total reanimation process, in effect semi-animating the body. When the cryo-tube opened after the semi-revival phase, the scientist was finally able to see the subject.

He had never known that the Membrane family had descended from angels. The female in the tube had long black raven hair, perfect porcelain skin, and the beautiful face of an celestial being. In that moment the scientist became dedicated to the point of obsession in trying to find a cure. Eventually he became the next team supervisor and worked harder than ever to find a cure. The reward for his hard work came every time they ran out of samples. Normally that would have been once or twice a year, which just wasn't frequent enough for the obsessed scientist.

He spurred the team on to do more tests and use more samples to the point where he had to restock their samples at least two to three times a month, sometimes more. When they ran out of samples he alone would go to retrieve the next batch. Gazing down at his angel's body in it's semi-awakened state he could feel his angel's pulse and he could hear in his mind the angel whisper sweet words of encouragement to him. It was his destiny to cure her, she was his life's mission and she was his life. He swore to himself every time he drew blood that he would be the first one she saw when she opened her eyes, because he would find a cure someday.

And then one day he found it.

* * *

><p>Footsteps pounded down the hall as the scientist ran towards his destination. Busting through the door he startled a few of the others in the room who ended up dropping their beakers. "Professor! Professor!" the panting scientist began.<p>

"How many times must I tell you?" the professor said in a low and slightly annoyed voice as he turned around. "Do not interrupt me in the middle of an experiment for REAL SCIENCE!" he said the last dramatically holding up his hand.

"But Professor Membrane the Cryo-team did it!" the scientist said then added, "They want you be there when she awakens as a witness for Real Science."

There was a pause from Professor Membrane, then he said boldly. "Of course! Anything for REAL SCIENCE!" he held his hand up again.

Later that day the team of scientists accompanied by Professor Membrane gathered around the cryo-tube. The team had added the formula to cure the girl's disease into the cryo-chemicals keeping her in a suspended state and after taking some more samples found all traces of the disease to have vanished. Now the team input the code to bring the girl out of her sleep. The tube door opened and fog flowed out as the last of the cryo-chemicals disappeared.

Everyone watched with their breaths held in anticipation, one scientist, the supervisor of the team, actually fainted from forgetting to breathe, as the sleeping girl stirred for the first time in three hundred years. A small moan escaped the girl's lips and the team leaned forward staring over her as her eyelids fluttered. Finally her eyes opened and honey irises stared up at them as they grinned down at her.

Her awakening, however, didn't go as they planned. When her eyes finally focused they widened. She shouted as her fist flew up punching Professor Membrane in the face, breaking his goggle-like glasses. The group scrambled back startled by the violence as Professor Membrane stumbled backward. The panting girl bolted up and scrambled to the edge of the cryo-tube.

"Shit!" she said, holding a hand to her chest trying to calm her racing heart. "That's a bitch of a way to wake up." She scowled at the people staring at her confused and scared. "Well, how would you like it?" she spat at them. "Waking up to a crowd grinning all crazy at you?"

A pained groan caught her attention and hunched a few feet away was a tall man with a familiar haircut. "D-Diz?" she asked hesitantly and a thread of hope in her voice.

Professor Membrane looked up and honey eyes met honey eyes. "No," he said straightening. He pulled new goggles out from his pocket and placed them on his face. "I'm Professor Membrane."

"Oh," the girl said disappointed. "I'm Liz, Liz Membrane," she paused and tilted her head as she gave the professor a once over. "I guess that means we're related?"

"You're his aunt from three hundred years ago!" one of the scientists squeaked out in excitement at their touching reunion.

"T-Three hundred?" the girl stuttered. "I've been in here for that long?" the research team nodded vigorously. "Then that means Diz..." she trailed off. "What will happen to me now?" she asked them.

The scientists started blankly at her, no one had thought past this point.

"You can stay with me," Professor Membrane said. "I will see to your reentry into today's society as it had advanced greatly with the help of REAL SCIENCE!" he dramatically held up his hand.

"'Real science?" Liz repeated.

"Yes, REAL SCIENCE!" Professor Membrane repeated the gesture.

"Is there fake science too?"

Professor Membrane paused, "Yes, the paranormal," then he muttered under his breath, "my poor insane son."

Liz tilted her head in confusion. "The study of the paranormal isn't even in the same category as science. It's separate in its own thing, like the supernatural. Calling it fake science is weird, it's not about science at all."

"Er," Professor Membrane faltered for a moment then decided to change the subject. "You will have to meet my children. I'm sure you will get along and they will help you reenter society. I'll enroll you in their Hi-Skool, you'll start tomorrow. Follow me." He turned and began walking out of the lab.

"Wait!" Liz called out and scrambled out of the tube after him. The moment she started walking her limbs shook and she collapsed as her arms began to shake violently.

Professor Membrane turned around to watch her convulse. "Hmmm, this seems to be a side effect from the unfreezing process. I will have to study this for REAL SCIENCE!" he said watching her until the shaking stopped.

When her limbs became her own again Liz stared up at him. "You could have helped."

"Observation is key to understanding REAL SCIENCE!" he said once again. "Now follow me."

"Jerk," Liz muttered but followed after her new guardian, even though _she_ was technically older than him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello. I hope you will enjoy this story, it will eventually get to be ZADR. Let me know what you think. **

Dib narrowed his eyes as he glared across the cafeteria at his nemesis. Zim, feeling Dib's eyes on him, looked up and grinned wickedly at the teen. It was due to Zim's evil plan involving moths and jello that had forced Dib to have to wear his gym clothes for the rest of the day. The only good thing was that Dib had once again stopped his plan. Victory for Earth! A second flash of green came into view and the second Irken also felt Dib watching. He looked up and gave the human an apologetic look before sitting down next to Zim. Pulling out two bags from his PAK the taller Irken placed one in front of Zim then opened his own lunch bag.

A lot had changed over the past three years since entering Hi-Skool. The first being that Zim had grown taller, he was still short compared to the other kids at 5'1, but he had grown and Dib got the impression that Zim hadn't expected to get taller. Dib didn't know how he did it, or if Zim even knew how it happened, but growing taller had changed Zim slightly. He was still loud and a jerk and tried to take over the Earth constantly with his crazy plans, but there were some times when he and Zim fought that just felt... different.

Sometimes Zim would attack him out of nowhere and Dib would have to fight back with all he had. If he didn't he would find himself knocked out and dragged back to Zim's lab where Zim would keep him in a tube of goo for a day or two until Dib found a way to free himself. The weird thing about those times was that Zim never tortured him (badly) or did horrible experiments on him. He just taunted him a lot. It was weird.

The addition of the second Irken to Zim's household was another weird thing. Skoodge first came to Earth about two years ago. When he first arrived he stayed mostly in Zim's base. Dib had first found out about the new Irken when Zim had captured him and brought him back to the lab. Zim had ordered Skoodge to watch Dib as GIR had just exploded something in another area of the base and Zim had to go do damage control.

Once Zim left Dib gestured wildly to the button that drained the goo because while he could breathe in the weird stuff he couldn't speak. Flattening his antenna, the short Irken hesitantly pushed the button and drained the goo out of the tube so Dib could speak. Immediately Dib bombarded the Irken with questions on how he got here, why he was here and what his evil plans were.

Surprisingly, Skoodge had answered and he, like Tak, sounded completely normal when he spoke. Skoodge said that the Tallest, after surviving Hobo 13, promoted him by sending him to Zim to work as an assistant in his mission.

Dib frowned. "That doesn't sound like a promotion."

"I know," Skoodge replied sadly. "But Zim is not that bad, he let me stay. Not many invaders would like another Irken living in their base. I'm sure the Tallest thought that Zim would kill me when I arrived."

"That's horrible!" Dib exclaimed. "Why would your leaders send you here thinking that?"

"I'm short," Skoodge said with a shrug, "And ugly. They tried to kill me before. Even after I succeeded in taking over another planet they didn't like me so they shot me into space and had another taller Irken take my place and my name. Hobo 13 was my last chance to reclaim my name, but when I survived they just sent me here. As far as the rest of Irk is concerned I don't exist anymore."

"Wow," Dib said sitting down in the tube not knowing what to say and feeling a great amount of sympathy for the little green alien. Even when he was successful his leaders still didn't like him, that had to feel awful.

"Yes," Skoodge agreed and Dib realized he had just thought out loud again. "But that's why I admire Zim. Even with everything the Tallest say and do he remains loyal."

Thinking on what Skoodge said Dib asked, "Are you loyal?"

"Yes, to Zim," Skoodge answered and Dib understood the answer.

"Are you going to try taking over the Earth?"

The short Irken shook his head. "Zim has told me that he doesn't want or need help to take over this dirt ball. My job is to assist him in taking care of the base."

"What? Like a maid? Don't you hate that?"

Again Skoodge shook his head. "I don't mind. He didn't have to let me stay, he could have kicked me out. No Invader is supposed to want other Irken around in case they try to take over all the glory. I feel honored that Zim trusts me enough to let me live here with him even though I'm just a short ugly Irken."

Dib blinked at the small pleased smile on Skoodge's face. "Wow," Dib said again. "That's actually pretty decent of Zim."

Before Skoodge could respond Zim burst into the lab looking flustered, "THE FILTHY EARTH-WORM LIES!" He screeched pointing at Dib before running over and slamming a fist down on a button. As Dib was jettisoned from the tube and out of the base, he could have sworn he saw a blue flush on Zim's face.

The next day Zim had hatched another plan to take over the Earth (literally hatched, as he tried to use giant mutated chickens) which vanished all thoughts of his and Skoodge's conversation. However a few weeks later Dib had been shocked to see Skoodge follow behind Zim to Hi-Skool. Skoodge had started to grow taller and had gained at least a foot since he had last seen him. Then over the course of the year Skoodge grew even taller until he even out grew Zim by eleven inches to stand at six feet. Dib was sure that infuriated Zim, but Skoodge's demeanor hadn't changed and he still followed Zim around obeying whatever Zim told him to do. Zim seemed to enjoy bossing around the taller Irken and soon stopped ranting at Skoodge about his height.

Seeing as how Skoodge showed no interest in taking over Earth, Dib mostly left him alone. His focus always had been on Zim and always would be. However, every so often he would share a small conversation with Skoodge and Dib, for his part, tried not to pry into the Irken's past too much or ask many questions even though he badly wanted to. These conversations, however, were always short and very rare as Zim hated when Skoodge talked to him and he did his best to never leave the two alone again ever since that time in his lab.

Dib glared once more at his grinning enemy then turned to his sister who did her best to ignore him while she played the latest Game Slave. She too had matured over the years into a taller, feminine and extremely scary younger sister.

"I don't know if he's getting better or worse, Gaz," Dib said to her. "His plans seem to be less destructive to the city, but more so to me."

"The fucks I give," Gaz retorted. She had also grown in her insults and language as well. "Don't talk to me, Dib, I'm trying to beat this level and lunch is my only time of peace. Don't ruin it," she added darkly and Dib felt the promise of pain and devastation in her words. His sister was scarier than anything Zim could think up.

Since Dib liked having his limbs attached to his body he wisely didn't say anything more and focused on his own bagged lunch. After entering Hi-Skool they were allowed to bring their own food and since then Dib had never touched cafeteria food again, neither had Zim for that matter. Once Skoodge started going to school he brought both their lunches which, as far as Dib could tell, were made up of snacks and junk food.

Soon the bell rang and lunch was over. The rest of the skool day passed without incident, mostly because he didn't have any other classes with Zim. His last two classes were advanced-advanced biology and music, which Dib had only signed up for because he needed another elective and had already taken all of the science related classes. He hated music class. The teacher, Mr. Note, just played jingles from T.V and had them try to repeat the tunes on random instruments he passed out in the beginning of each class. The class was torture to his ears as Mr. Note would sing along cheerfully to the jingle as each student badly attempted to play on the instruments they had no idea how to use.

What made it even worse was that Mr. Note's voice was less pleasant than a dying cat's. Dib slightly envied the girls in his class as they could get away with wearing ear plugs as their hair hid their ears. For the hundredth time Dib had debated growing out his short black hair just so he could also wear ear plugs in class, but that would only give the bullies in skool more ammo to tease him on.

Dib suppressed a groan just thinking on the end of the day. Wearing his gym clothes all day had gotten him noticed by the bullies and he could tell they were dying at a chance to tease and possibly beat him up. He felt their gazes at lunch. Thankfully no one ever approached him while he sat with Gaz, his freshman year had been horrible. He had to spend lunch hiding in order to not get beaten up, the next year however the second Gaz sat with him all bullying had stopped, during lunch anyway.

It wasn't that Dib didn't know how to fight back, he couldn't. The years of mental and physical torture had trained him to not fight back. He could fight Zim no problem, Zim was an alien out to destroy the world, Dib had to fight him. But the bullies were just human, Dib couldn't fight them, his body just froze. Even though he could see openings and weaknesses in their fights Dib couldn't bring himself to hit another human being. So instead he took the mental and physical abuse when he couldn't escape it.

The bell rang and Dib ran out of his musical torture class to his locker, maybe if he got his stuff quickly he could escape. Shoving what he needed for tonight in his bag he slammed his locker shut and let out a surprised squeak at the figure standing next to him.

"G-Gaz?" he stuttered. She never waited for him anymore. After skool she went off with her gamer friends to the mall.

She grabbed the front of his shirt and started dragging him down the hall. "Dad called," she said stopping any protests he had been about to make. "He wants us home for a family meeting and I don't have time to wait around while you play with Zim or your friends," she said grumpily, though she knew that the bullies weren't his friends. She just didn't care that he got beat up, as long as it wasn't during lunch he was free to do what he wanted. And if Dib couldn't learn to stick up for himself that wasn't her problem. She just liked having him around at lunch as he served as an effective shield against the annoying kids that wanted to talk with her at lunch, her one time of peace during the day. When Dib went to Hi-Skool she realized how effective his presence had been at keeping people away at lunch. With him gone, no matter how many times she released her wrath, they kept trying to bug her during lunch.

"The sooner we get there and Dad tells us what he wants, the sooner I can go to the mall," she said dragging him out of the skool right past the group of bullies that had been waiting for him. They shuddered when they saw Gaz and backed away letting them pass.

"See you tomorrow, Dib," the largest of the bullies sneered earning mean laughs from the others.

Dib sighed and let himself be pulled along by his sister towards the parking lot where Dib kept his car. Surprisingly the bullies hadn't done anything to his car yet, though that could also be due to the security system he installed that gave anyone who touched it without his permission an intense volt of electricity. Gaz opened the driver's door and pushed him in as she walked around and sat on the passenger's side.

"After this meeting you will drive me to the mall," she said leaving no room for him to argue.

"Of course," Dib said knowing from experience that this was the only acceptable response. They drove home in silence and Dib parked his car in the driveway. Unlocking the door and placing his hand on the scanner the door opened and to their surprise it wasn't a floating screen that greeted them, but their dad himself. As they got older they saw their dad less and less until they saw him only on their yearly family dinner and the holidays. Today was neither one of those days so whatever he had to say had to be important. Instantly both teens grew alert.

"Oh, good," their dad said turning when he heard the door open. "Now that you're here—" a voice coming down the stairs cut him off.

"Are you sure it's okay to borrow these clothes?" a clearly feminine voice asked. The two teens peered around their father to watch as another teen came down the stairs wearing a pair of Dib's black pants and one of his blue shirts with the flat-mouthed face on it and his black boots, ones that he hadn't worn since his growth spurt in Middle Skool. She was looking down at her outfit so they couldn't see her face as her long black hair swung forward.

"Er, those are my son's clothes," Professor Membrane said also turning to the new teen.

"Yeah, well the other door had a really nasty aura coming from it and I didn't think it wise to enter uninvited," the girl said then finally lifted her head. "Oh, um, hi?" she said upon seeing the two siblings.

"Dad, please tell me this is some love-child and not a mistress," Gaz said examining the new girl. She silently approved of her decision to wear Dib's stuff and not hers. Gaz didn't like people in her room...ever. Also with Dib's clothes on she looked a little like a female version of Dib, with honey eyes and two zig-zaging locks of hair framing her face, not unlike her father's hair hence the love-child comment.

At the comment Dib's eyes widened and he saw the girl scrunch up her nose in disgust at the word mistress.

"Ha ha," Professor Membrane laughed patting his daughter on the head. "You're my funny child. No," he shouted raising a pointed finger. "She is here because of the awesome abilities of REAL SCIENCE!" He said dramatically then turned to face Dib and handed him a credit card. "Until recently she has been in a cryogenically frozen state due to a _horrible_ illness which has now been cured. She will be living here from now on in the guest bedroom. Here is a credit card, buy her the necessities she needs. Also the unfreezing process has a side-effect where she will have _horrible_ shaking fits. I expect a full report on her progress re-entering society and the frequency of the side effects at the end of the week. I've already enrolled her in Skool. She starts tomorrow. Good-bye children," he said quickly then left out the door where a car pulled up, picked him up and drove away back to his labs leaving the three teens to stare at each other.

Dib was so shocked by all this that the first thought that popped into his head was: w_e have a guest bedroom?_

The newest member stared at the door after their dad. "Wow, what a dick."

An unfamiliar sound had Dib tearing his attention from the new teen to his sister. She was laughing, not evilly, but amused.

"Yeah, you can say that again," Gaz agreed then turned to her brother. "We're going to the mall now," over her shoulder she spoke to the new girl. "That comment will get you one store from me. I'll help you get some stuff that my idiot of a brother will know nothing about. After that you're stuck with him. I don't mind you living here as long as you stay out of my room and leave me alone."

Dib was about to protest about how Gaz was treating the girl when she spoke up, "Sounds fair."

Gaz nodded then left the house to return to the car.

The girl hopped off the last two steps and walked over to Dib holding out her hand. "I'm Liz Membrane, nice to meet you."

Dib numbly shook her hand. "Uh, Dib," he supplied. A wail on the horn interrupted them and Liz turned to the door.

"We should go before all hell breaks loose," Liz said with a smile.

Dib just nodded and followed Liz out to the car. She sat in the back behind Gaz and Dib sat down in the driver's seat and pulled out of the driveway. It was halfway to the mall before his brain finally remembered what she said. "Wait! Liz Membrane?!" he shouted almost driving off road. His sister slugged him for making her miss her target on her game.

"Hm?" Liz said turning from staring out the window, her mood had dropped since leaving the house. "Oh, yeah. Apparently you are my brother's descendants and I'm like your aunt from three hundred years ago. I'm your great-great-add-a-bunch-more-greats-here aunt," Liz said flippantly. She stared at Dib through the rear view mirror. "You look a lot like him actually," she said softly. "My brother."

Not picking up on the somber tone of her voice Dib finally realized how cool this situation was. "Were you really frozen for three hundred years? You're really related to us?"

"That's what I was told," Liz said going back to staring out the window. "And anyone can tell we're relayed, especially you Dib, you have all the tall-tale signs of being a Membrane; tall, skinny, honey-eyes, and raven physics-defying hair."

"Amazing that those traits are passed on even with the addition of another's genes," Dib mused happily driving into the mall parking lot. "What was it like living three hundred years ago?" he asked eagerly.

"Better," he thought he heard Liz say as she slammed the car door closed. She began walking next to Gaz and asked in a bright voice, "How about that lady-stuff store?" Dib told himself that he must have heard wrong.

Having been commanded by his sister to wait patiently in the food court while she took Liz to the mysterious women's department store, Dib found himself pouting as he chewed on his straw. He wanted to talk more with his relative from the past. He was also curious to see what kind of mysterious things were in the store and this had been his only chance at finding out. After what seemed like hours the two girls came back. Dib perked up at their arrival but frowned when he saw them return empty handed. "Where's your stuff?"

Gaz rolled her eyes, but it was Liz whom answered, "We had them delivered, which is way cool that all stores offer that kind of thing now."

"Not all stores," Dib mumbled never having heard of that option in any store.

"Just the ones that matter," Gaz told Liz, the two having stuck a neutral relationship or at least Gaz had decided that Liz wasn't stupid like her brother even if she looked like her brother. "Well, see you later," Gaz said with a short wave to Liz before going off to find her friends in the mall.

Dib stared open-jawed at his sister. He had never seen her wave at anybody.

"She's nice," Liz said sitting down across from Dib. "Scary as hell, but nice."

"What?" Dib stared at Liz. "How so?"

Liz rolled her eyes as if the answer was obvious and it was to her, but Dib was male so she had to explain. "Not many teenage girls would willingly share their living space with another teenage girl who just came up out of nowhere, much less explain the ins-and-outs of what a teenage girl needs to survive today."

"What does a girl need?" Dib asked genuinely curious, his only female interaction was with his sister and she rarely spoke to him.

Liz gave him a wicked smile. "It's a secret," she plucked the straw from his mouth and threw it in the nearby trashcan. "Come on, I'm sure you're tired of seeing me in your clothes. Let's go spend your dad's money. From the way he acted I'm sure the only interactions he has with his family are transactions, I don't want to go breaking family traditions just because I'm here."

Dib stared at her a moment before shaking his head in amazement. "People of the past are amazing."

"Nope," Liz said flicking his scythe-like hair, "Our family is pretty amazing. So, clothes?"

Dib touched his afronted lock, then smiled up at his new relative. "There is a place here where I get all my clothes, well I buy online, but they have a store here in the mall," though Dib had never set foot in it. Normally he never went into the mall, for shopping anyway.

...

Liz turned around to get a better look at herself in the changing stall mirror. She was very happy with the tight legging-like black pants, not unlike the ones she borrowed from Dib except these were meant for the female body. They fit her curves nicely and hid her imperfections well, the magic of wearing black. The long forest green tunic hugged her hips and stopped mid-thigh ending with lace trimming. Her favorite, however, was the black half-jacket. Stopping just past her sternum the tight fitting military style jacket had two rows of six silver buttons running right up to her neck where a buckle latched the collar of the jacket closed over her neck. The sleeves were a different material than the thick stiff fabric and were more flowly and slightly see-though, billowing out around her hands. If she relaxed her arms down the cloth completely covered her hands right to her fingertips. The short stellito boots she had picked out with the silver buckles lining the side matched perfectly.

The only thing out of place was her long raven hair ending past her shoulder blades. Wanting to have a completely perfect outfit before showing off to Dib, whom she was growing fond of, Liz called out to him front her stall. "Hey, Dib? Can you see if you can find a hair tie or something for me?" Liz said as she reached around and began french braiding her hair only leaving her two zig-zag locks free.

"Sure," Dib hopped up from the chair stationed in front of the stall, placed there for such people like him and went over to the accessory section of the shop. What sounded like a simple task became much more complicated as he saw the variety of hair ties. Completely lost at what to choose or which ones Liz would like, and he wanted to pick one she would like, Dib finally gave up and grabbed one that struck his fancy. It was a black hair-tie with two charms of metal stars inside of a circle. He paid for them with his father's card then took them out of the package and dangled them over the top of Liz's stall door. "I got these," he said trying not to sound too apprehensive.

"Oooo, pentagrams!" Liz said approvingly snatching the tie from Dib's hand. A moment later he heard the door unlatch and she swung the door open. "Ta da!" she almost sang stepping out and spun around. "How do I look?"

Dib took in her entire outfit and nodded. She didn't look bad in his clothes, but she looked great in what she choose as well. "It fits you," he said.

Liz frowned not pleased with his seemingly unenthusiastic reaction, but then she remembered who his ancestor was and rolled her eyes. "When a girl asks you what you think of her outfit in such a manner the only proper response, Dib, is to say it looks fantastic."

"Oh," Dib blushed embarrassed. "Sorry, I don't talk much with girls."

"Oh," Liz said in response feeling just as embarrassed for assuming things. "Well, I'm sure boys like hearing those things too."

It took a minute, but Dib finally understood what she was implying. "No, no," he shook his head vigorously. "I'm not... I'm not like that. I just don't interact with girls much, or boys, or anyone for that matter. Well, not humans anyway."

Liz raised her eyebrow at the last comment. "Who or what do you interact with then if not humans?"

Dib furrowed his brow into a scowl, "Zim," he said then glanced at Liz out of the corner of his eye. Would she react like everyone else? "He's an evil alien whose mission it is to destroy the world. I've been stopping him since I was thirteen ever since he first appeared in my class."

Tilting her head Liz studied Dib trying to figure out if he was serious or making a joke, after looking at his face she decided he wasn't trying to be funny. "How do you know he's an alien?"

"He's green, has no ears or nose and shouts out constantly in class that he wants to take over the world. He talks about himself in third person and his stupid disguise fools everyone. All his disguise is is a stupid black wig that covers his antennae and contacts that cover his ruby eyes. It's so glaringly obvious but he tells everyone it's a skin condition and they all believe him," Dib ranted.

"Why does he want to take over the world?" Liz asked.

"It's his mission from the armada, a giant army of Irkens—that's what his race is called—that travel through space taking over planets and either destroying them or turning them into parking lots. Zim was sent to infiltrate Earth, take it over and make way for the armada to come. He's been trying to destroy earth for five years, but I've stopped him every time. This one time," Dib continued to rant about Zim and all his past attempts to overtake the Earth.

Liz listened to Dib as she gathered up his clothes she had been wearing and snapped off the tags of her new ones. She went around the store and picked up a few more outfits similar to the one she was wearing. Dib continued to tell her stories about Zim as he paid for her stuff with his dad's card. She found it difficult to cut in as Dib talked. She decided to explore the rest of the mall as he fell in step beside her. She nodded and made little noises as he went on with his stories to indicate she was listening, and she was, but she also wanted to explore the mall and shop around. Being a female meant she was very good at multi-tasking and from past experiences shopping with her brother if he wasn't distracted he would become bored quickly. So she let Dib rant about Zim and their adventures as she did the rest of her shopping. She doubted Dib even noticed that he was carrying a bunch of bags.

Finally finished they made their way back to the food court and ordered some dinner, well Liz ordered and Dib paid. Sitting down Dib immediately started eating the food from MacMeaties without stopping in his story. Liz, however, was slightly distracted by the food in front of her. She had ordered a burger, fries, and milkshake. She tentatively took a sip after seeing Dib drink his with no problem, but immediately pushed it aside as it tasted like no milkshake she ever had.

Next she addressed the burger. Lifting up the bun she inspected the contents. It was slimy. She didn't know burgers could be slimy. Even if it did taste the same Liz doubted she would be able to stand the texture. She placed her burger on Dib's tray and in normal teenage boy fashion he ate the offered food without missing a beat. The fries were very greasy but after rolling one in a napkin, absorbing the grease, she found they were eatable. Luckily she had grabbed a handful of napkins and was able to eat all her fries.

At this point they had been at the mall for a long time and an intercom message came over the mall's speaker letting everyone know the mall would be closing in fifteen minutes. Dib had just finished his story involving jello and moths when he heard the message.

"It's time to close already?" he said looking around as if just realizing they weren't in the store anymore. He then noticed the numerous bag around him. "Uh..."

"Don't take it too seriously, Dib," Liz said gaining his attention and giving him a sympathetic smile. "Your male brain can only take so much shopping, to help you survive the experience I'm sure it blocked out most of the memory. But when you're ready and after years of therapy, I'm sure you'll be able to face those memories."

Wincing at the mention of therapy, it took Dib a moment to realize Liz was teasing him. He wasn't used to someone making jokes about him that weren't hateful, but playful. Unused to the experience and embarrassed he blushed.

"You're blushing," Liz pointed out with a wicked grin making him blush even more as the red spread across his entire face. Tilting her head she studied him. "In many ways you look a lot like my brother, but you, Dib," she paused to widen her grin. "You're much cuter." As she expected his blush spread down his neck and over took his ears.

"Is your head finally going to explode?" Gaz said coming up behind her brother causing him to jump. She took in all the bags, "I see you managed to survive the day with him."

"As we shopped he told me about his friend Zim," Liz said.

"He talked about Zim all day? And you're still here?" Gaz raised an eyebrow. "I'm impressed."

"He's not my friend!" Dib protested, slightly let down. He thought Liz was different, but she didn't listen to him either, or so he thought until Liz continued.

"Right, sorry, 'frenemy'" Liz corrected herself, at Dib's confused face she elaborated. "Friends who are enemies. The two of you fight constantly, and have been for the past five years, but neither of you have seriously harmed the other and you have even worked well together too. Hence 'frenemy'," Liz explained.

Dib opened and closed his mouth, trying to come up with a retort, but couldn't.

"Stop sucking air, let's go," Gaz said impatiently and turned not waiting for them as she headed in the direction of the parking lot. Liz and Dib scrambled to pick up the shopping bags and went to catch up with her.

On the ride home Liz stared out the car window and her earlier sour mood came back as she observed what three hundred years had done to the city, though she did her best to hide it when they arrived back at the house. Liz grabbed half of the bags while Dib took the others and she made it inside the house before she felt a familiar shaking in her arms. Swearing softly she huddled down and tried to trap her arms to her body with her knees, but soon the shaking became worse and she fell to the ground in seizure-like convulsions.

"Liz?!" Dib dropped the bags and went to her side when she began shaking. He flailed his arms around unsure what to do. Gaz watched from the couch, almost interested. After a few moments Liz stopped and rolled onto her back. Dib hesitantly touched her shoulder.

"The unfreezing process," Liz answered his unspoken question. "I get the shakes apparently, though they said at the lab that it should wear off eventually. Their guess is that its my body just making sure I'm actually moving around and not in some weird dream." With Dib's help she got to her feet. Gaz turned back around on the couch to watch TV, no longer interested. "I think I'm going to take a shower then get some sleep. Has the other stuff arrived yet?" she asked looking around.

Dib turned to look and found a bright pink bag by the door. He eyed it curiously as he picked it up. "Want me to bring it up for you?"

Taking the bag from his hands she shook her head, internally smiling at his disappointed pout. He probably had been hoping to sneak a peek inside the bag as he brought it up. In all honesty there wasn't much of interest inside besides some toiletries and underwear, though being a teenage boy that might have been enough to interest him. However, Liz found it amusing to be mysterious and annoy her relative.

"I can manage this one," she said. "Though I wouldn't mind help bringing the others up." Lacing their arms with the bags Dib followed Liz upstairs and past his door to the room next to his that he never knew was there. The room was fairly plain with a dull green bed spread. The only furniture was a dresser and desk, all made from wood and fairly old looking. "Just place the bags on the bed, I'll put them away later," Liz said searching though one bag for the pjs she bought earlier.

"Okay," Dib did as she asked then stepped back. "I'll be in my room if you need anything," he told her after she nodded he retreated back to his room and closed the door. Once alone he dropped onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling and went over the day in his head. Today might have been one of the best days in his life. He stopped Zim, he didn't get beat up, and now had another family member that would actually talk and listen to him and treat him like he was, well, normal. Maybe tomorrow he could convince her to help him finally expose Zim for the alien he was.

Grinning to himself Dib rolled over and began counting the seconds until skool tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello here is the next chapter. I have a good amount of the story written. I'm just going through and editing and posting while I continue to write, so updates will be frequent for a while. I'll replay to all my reviews so thank you for taking the time to make a comment. :) (also I finally figured out how to include breaks so the flow should be a little clearer)**

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><p>That same evening the Cryo-team supervisor woke up exactly where he fainted in the cryo-room. He was devastated to find out he had missed the moment his angel had woken up. Immediately he ran to the surveillance room and demanded the night guards show him the footage from earlier that afternoon. The two night guards blinked at each other for a moment.<p>

"Um, footage from where?" one asked.

"From the cryo-room," the scientist said impatiently.

"Uh, you had the cameras from that room removed," the other guard said.

The scientist opened his mouth to argue and yell in frustration, but stopped himself when he remembered that he had indeed done that. He did not want other unworthy eyes to gaze at his angel when he went to collect samples. He thought a moment then continued. "What about the cameras outside the room? The hallway ones?"

"Oh, we got those!" the first guard said cheerfully switching to that footage.

On screen the scientist watched as Professor Membrane exited the cryo-room closely followed by his angel. The scientist pressed his face to the screen as if doing so could get him closer. His angel's long white gown flowed around her, her silky black hair fluttering behind. The scientist watched the security footage until he saw her exit the labs and get into Professor Membrane's car.

The scientist leaned back once the feed ended. She was alive. His angel was walking on Earth once again. He didn't get to see her in person, but she had gone home with the most important man in the world. He supposed this was for the best, after all she was a creature above others, above himself. He would have to make due with what she had left behind. He found all of her Earthly possessions and relics in one of the back rooms and moved all of them to a separate unused room. There he kept them safe in a shrine he created for her. If he couldn't be with his angel he would make due with that. Yes, as long as he had his shrine he would be content with knowing his angel was once again awake.

* * *

><p>"It's spelled wrong," Liz commented as Dib drove up to the Hi-Skool parking lot.<p>

Getting out of the car he looked up at the sign thinking Zim had somehow messed with it, but it remained the same as before. "It's always spelled that way," Dib said. "Right, Gaz?" Gaz didn't answer as she had left the car and was already in the building. "I should take you to the office to get your class schedule," Dib said changing the topic. Liz nodded and followed Dib through the skool. As they walked down the halls the other students whispered and pointed to herself and Dib. When they reached the office door it swung open and a woman came out scowling at them.

"You're the horrible new student," the tall woman said. She wore clouded glasses and had a long black dress over her arched back. "Dib, go to your class, the new student has to take a placement test."

"But-"

"Now, Dib!"

"Yes, Principle Bitters," Dib said and gave Liz an apologetic look for abandoning her. Liz shrugged and followed the woman into the office and then the door slammed behind her. Having no other option Dib made his way to his first period class.

Not long after taking his usual seat in the front by the window, Zim proudly marched into the classroom. Upon seeing Dib he couldn't help but send a barb his way.

"I see you regained your filthy Earth attire, Dib-Stink," Zim said sitting in his usual spot by the door.

"I have more than one set of clothes, Zim," Dib rolled his eyes. "Humans have more than one set of clothes, which you would know if you weren't an alien!"

"_LIES_!" Zim stood on his chair and pointed at Dib. "THE FILTHY EARTH-WORM _LIES_!"

Dib and Zim continued shouting insults at each other as the rest of the students filed in and basically ignored the two as they had been doing for years. Soon after the teacher came in and threaten the two teens until they quieted down, then he began his lesson. It was halfway through class before Dib remembered about Liz. He had no idea how long the placement tests were going to take and found himself glancing at the door every so often.

...

Zim could feel the Earth-stink look over his way, but this time the teen's attention was on the door behind him and not Zim himself. Zim narrowed his eyes at the door, curious as to what was so amazing about it that it should draw attention away from the _AMAZING_ Zim. Nothing about the door looked different but it still held a mysterious power over the Dib as he continued to stare at it. If Zim could harness this hypnotic door power he could easily control the stupid humans. "Your powers will belong to _ZIM_!" he screeched at the door.

"Zim!" The teacher scolded from the board. "Sit down and shut up, or I'll send you to the underground classroom." Without word Zim sat back down placing his hands folded on his desk. "Good," the teacher said then turned back to the board.

Dib raised an eyebrow at Zim's outburst then narrowed his eyes. He was sure Zim was up to something again. Once Zim felt the Dib-thing's eyes focus on him again he turned to sneer at the door. He had defeated his woody foe. However, his victory was short lived as he had to defeat the hypnotic power of the other doors in the next few classes he had with Dib. When the bell rang for lunch Zim marched into the cafeteria and sat down at his usual spot next to Skoodge.

"Today has been one victory after another for _Zim_," he said drawing out his own name in a low voice. "I have defeated all the doors in this horrible learning prison that have _dared_ to take away attention from the mighty Zim."

"Amazing, Zim," Skoodge said having learned a long time ago not to ask questions when Zim said things that made no sense. He pulled out their lunches from his PAK placing one before Zim then himself. "Hey, Zim have you heard that—look!" Skoodge said pointing to where Dib and his sister sat. At their table another student had joined them sitting next to Gaz. The student's back was turned so neither Irken could tell who it was, but they weren't the only ones surprised. No one sat with the Membrane siblings for two reasons: one, no one wanted to sit with Dib and two, no one dared sit with Gaz. And this student was doing both, sitting next to Gaz (without being inflicted with pain) and seemingly having a conversation with Dib. As shocked as the rest of the students, the two Irkens could only stare from across the lunch room.

...

Liz plopped down next to Gaz feeling a little shell-shocked, Gaz didn't react and continued to play her Game Slave, but Dib stopped his scowling at Zim and jumped when she sat, not having heard her approach.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"Taking placements tests," Liz said with a shudder. "And I don't want to talk about it. I don't understand how school became so horrible. How can teachers act like they do? Why does it matter if I can escape from a room of rabid rats? How does that have anything to do with my academic ability?!" Liz exasperated utterly confused.

"You look fine," Gaz said not looking up from her game.

"Well, of course," Liz straightened up. "I can take care of myself just fine, but I still don't see the point in it."

"Don't be a whiner," Gaz retorted.

Liz opened her mouth to protest but closed it again and gave a little laugh. "You're right. I just can't believe how shitty-er the school, er skool, system has become in three hundred years." Gaz's lips tweaked in a small smile when Liz admitted Gaz was right, but besides that contributed nothing more to the conversation.

"What was it like before?" Dib asked.

"Better," Liz said flatly. "Not super great, but better," she said then turned her attention to the cafeteria. Looking around she winced at what she assumed was food that some of the other kids were eating. "The food here looks..." Liz groped for a word. "Not like food," she ended lamely.

"It's not," Dib said, "Here," he handed her the extra lunch bag he had made this morning. "I don't know what you like so I just made what Gaz and I usually have." Which consisted of chips, soda, and a pbj sandwich.

Liz took out the sandwich and took a tentative bite and sighed with relief, "It's good to know that not even time can change peanut butter and jelly." She then noticed the numerous stares directed at their table. One weird looking kid who grinned creepily at her caught her attention as he had wandered close to their table. "Why don't you take a picture, it will last longer," she snapped at him.

"Okay!" he said happily then took a picture of her with his phone. "Oh, wow, you look just like Dib," he said especially cheerful. "The two of you must be good friends."

"Go. Away. Keef." Gaz warned him in a low threatening voice when the stupid boy came closer once he started talking to Liz.

"Okay!" Keef said skipping happily away.

...

As the absurdly happy teen skipped by the tables a black gloved hand snatched at his shirt bringing him eye-to-eye with purple irises. "Oh, hi there bestest buddy."

"Who is the worm-baby sitting with the Dib?" Zim questioned.

"Oh, you mean the new girl?" Keef said pulling out his cellphone to show Zim her picture. "She's really nice, she let me take a picture of her and Dib. Don't they look alike? They sure are great friends to look so much like each other."

Zim snatched the phone out of Keef's hand and scrutinized the picture with Skoodge peering over his shoulder. It was true the new girl looked a lot like the Dib, too much like the Dib. It was obviously some horrible new weapon designed by his enemy to only look like a new student, but Zim wouldn't be fooled he would find out the secret of this secret weapon. Zim shoved Keef away and threw his phone back at him. Sitting back down he continued to glare at the new head sitting at Dib's table.

...

"What a creepy-ass kid," Liz said when Keef left their table. "Is there something wrong with him?"

"Lots," Dib replied going back to his lunch. "Did they give you a class schedule?"

"Oh yeah," Liz said and dug out the paper from her black backpack. She slid it across the table for Dib to look at. "I'm pretty excited about my electives. I'm glad there are still art programs in skool, I know those are the first to get cut. 'Music Class' seemed sort of vague, but I can pick up any string instrument pretty quickly and I do know a little piano, so I figure I'm good."

"Hm, we only have one class together, music," he said frowning as he studied her class list, not really listening to what she was saying. Frowning deeper he noticed what other classes she had. "You have two afternoon classes with Zim, history and biology. The rest, English, math and art you have with Skoodge."

"Skoodge?" Liz repeated the name.

"There," Dib pointed behind her and Liz turned. "He's the taller alien."

Looking in the direction Dib pointed she easily picked out the two aliens and was surprised to see that Zim looked exactly how Dib said he would; super skinny, light green skin, no ears, no nose and really waxy looking black hair. However, there was one detail Dib failed to mention. Zim glared at her and she smiled and waved at them. The second alien, Skoodge, was about a head taller with similar features but had broader shoulders and his black hair was more scraggly. He waved back hesitantly, but Zim continued to glare.

"Dib," Liz said turning back to face him her voice somewhat chastising. "There's one thing you didn't tell me about Zim." At his raised eyebrow Liz continued, "how cute he is."

There was thirty seconds of shocked pause then, "_WHAT_?!" Dib shouted jumping up causing several more students to look up.

Liz chuckled at his reaction. "Come on, Dib, sit down," upon realizing he had stood he grumpily sat back down.

"He's an _alien_!" Dib hissed. "He wants to destroy the Earth!"

"That's besides the point," Liz pointed out. "He's green and cute."

"Watch out, Dib," Gaz spoke up. "You've got competition."

"Oh, don't worry, Dib, I won't go after him," Liz said.

"Yeah, Zim's mine," Dib grumbled looking away. At the silence that followed he glanced back to see that his sister had paused her game and both she and Liz were grinning wickedly at him.

"Oh?" Liz said knowingly.

Dib finally caught on and blushed deeply. "NO! No, no! I didn't mean it that way!" he protested fiercely.

"Yeah, right," Gaz said going back to her game.

Liz laughed. "Oh, Dib, don't worry you are pretty cute too." He blushed deeper and turned his attention back to his lunch to escape this new form of teasing. At least getting beat up wasn't this embarrassing.

When the bell rang signaling the end of lunch Liz sighed. "I have to go to the nurse then the counselor before I can go to classes."

"Why?" Dib asked.

"Apparently, your dad told the skool about my twitchy condition and I'm supposed to check in with the nurse periodically. Also in case the shakes are psychological from, you know, my brain being frozen for three hundred years or culture shock or something I'm supposed to go to guidance,"she said flippantly. She suspected the shaking was less psychological and more physiological, so having to go to the counselor seemed to be a waste of time to her. "So I guess I'll be formally introducing myself in music class. See you later, Dib," she waved at him then made her way to the nurse's office.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello. Here is the next chapter. Please post any comments or questions. :) I'll respond to questions publicly and PM message any reviews or comments. (if that isn't the way things are done let me know) I hope you are enjoying the story. **

Dib went to his advanced-advanced biology class and for once he felt like it wasn't passing fast enough. After the bell for class rang he rushed over to Mr. Note's room and took his usual seat in the front. He sat and stared at the door expectantly. All the other kids filed in and took their seats. Not too soon after Mr. Note came in looking chipper.

"Attention everyone," he said clapping his hands together to gain their attention. "I have an announcement to make, we have a new student joining us." At this news the class was abuzz with side conversations and whispers. By now the whole Hi-Skool knew of the new girl that sat at the Membrane table. "Come on in and introduce yourself," Mr. Note said towards the door.

When Liz walked in the whole class stared and grew silent, they so badly wanted to know what was up with the new kid. As she was being introduced first in their class it meant they would have juicy gossip to share with their peers.

"Hello," she began. "My name is Liz."

After a long period of silence Mr. Note spoke up, "Why don't you tell the class a little about yourself and where you're from."

"Well, I like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain. I'm not much into health food, I am into champagne," Liz said her grin growing wider.

"Liz," Mr. Note said disapprovingly. "You should be aware of the affects of underage drinking."

"Seriously?" Liz raised an eyebrow at him and the rest of the class, Dib included. "No eye rolling? No chuckles at the lame joke? Nothing? No one? No one got that reference? It's a famous song and this is a music class right?"

"It's a song?" Mr. Note said perking up. "A famous one? From which commercial?"

"It's not from a commercial," Liz said confused. "It's just a song, an old one from 1979."

"Oh dear, all music from more than a hundred and fifty years ago was banned," Mr. Note said a chipper smile still plastered on his face.

"Banned?" Liz rounded on him. "What for?"

"For poisoning the minds of the children. Mr. President Man's grandfather was the one who put the law in place and look how wonderful things turned out. Now we can learn about really important songs that affect our lives daily and make us better for hearing it," Mr. Note said and shooed Liz into the seat next to Dib as he took to the front of the class. "This is a great transition into our lesson, but before I begin I was instructed to tell everyone that Liz has a medical condition that makes her body twitch uncontrollably sometimes. So if she falls twitching it's completely normal and you should all ignore her. Okay, everyone take an instrument and pass them back,"

"She's twitchy?" a voice whispered loudly from the back of the class room. "She must be a freak, no wonder she sat with Dib at lunch," the voice said making the whole class break out into snickering.

Liz, having just been handed a bucket with with rubber bands stretched over the top, twisted in her chair and with great accuracy threw her bucket at the student who made the comment. The bucket hit the kid square in the head causing him to get knocked off his seat and a few kids snickered.

"Liz!" Mr. Note said, "Musical instruments are not for throwing!"

"_That_ was a musical instrument?" Liz said disbelievingly then quickly continued before the teacher could respond. "I'm sorry, Mr. Note. I was having one of my twitchy moments and had no control over my arm's action."

"Oh? Well, never mind then," Mr. Note said and gave her another instrument from his box, two chickens tied together. Making a disgusted face, Liz pushed the chickens off her desk when the teacher turned around.

"That wasn't a twitch," Dib hissed to her in an angry whisper. "You did that on purpose."

"Of course, Dib," Liz said nonchalantly. "He insulted me, and you, if I wasn't mistaken. How else was I supposed to act?"

"You should have ignored it," Dib said having years of practice doing just that.

"Why?" Liz asked, but before Dib could answer Mr. Note had returned to the front of the classroom.

"Alright, class, now that—Liz, where is your instrument?"

"I believe it ran away."

"Well, if you can't keep track of your instruments then you'll just have to listen today," Mr. Note said. "Now, class, we'll start with the Krazy Taco commercial's opening tune."

As class went on Liz stared horrified at the sounds that were being made from the piss poor excuse for instruments. She didn't understand how they could even be called instruments as some didn't make sound at all. At one point she turned to Dib with a 'what-the-hell' look on her face but he just tapped along on his paper cup and looked completely confused by her indignant outrage. Finally Liz couldn't take it anymore, her ears were about to bleed, and she slammed her hands down on her desk causing the noise to stop.

"This is stupid!" Liz shouted. "The instruments are stupid, the music is stupid, the sounds you are all attempting to make are stupid and you," Liz rounded on the teacher. "Are the king of all the stupids for teaching that this, this stupidity is _music_!" Liz spat, visually shaking with suppressed anger.

Dib stared, too stunned to react.

"I think someone needs to go the nurse," Mr. Note said his smile not even faltering. "Two shaking fits in one class, that can't be healthy." The bell rang and Liz threw up her hands before storming out of the classroom. Dib grabbed her backpack as well as his own and scrambled after her, but as the halls filled with students eager to flee skool he couldn't find her. Frustrated, Dib collected what he needed from his locker and went to go wait for her outside the skool doors where he usually waited for Gaz. Hopefully, Liz would go out that way. However, as he left skool he was abruptly reminded of the unfinished business from yesterday.

"Hello, freak," Rob said with an wicked smile as Dib stepped onto the school steps. Rob seemed to have it out for Dib ever since he accused his father of being a yeti, a fact which Dib still thought to be true, he was covered in white fur for crying out loud. But apparently it was a sensitive topic for Rob as he instantly disliked Dib from that moment.

However, the bullying didn't really start until late middle school, when Rob began hanging out with Torque and found his aptitude for sports and simultaneously figured out that beating up Dib was a good way to show off.

"We never got to play together yesterday did we? Doesn't that make you sad?" Rob asked the small gang behind him. Fortunately Torque wasn't with him today as the teen had doubled in muscle size in Hi-Skool. While Torque disliked Dib as much as all the other students he was often too busy lifting stuff to join in the bullying.

"Yeaaah," the gang chorused behind their leader. Rob became popular in Hi-Skool especially after he began to publicly beat-up Dib, so whatever Rob did his small gang of followers did too.

"We need to make up for lost time," Rob said menacingly approaching Dib whom had backed up into the wall. Dib braced himself, but it didn't make the first punch hurt any less, or the second, or third.

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><p>Liz smacked her locker angrily, but her temper didn't dissipate, so she punched it. About .5 seconds later the pain registered. Gasping in a large breath Liz uncurled her abused fingers and blew out air in an attempt not to cry out. She doubled over and cradled her hand to her stomach. Sucking in air through her teeth she hissed in pain. "Note to self, punching lockers bad." Once the pain ebbed away a little she chanced a look down at her hand. Experimentally she wiggled her fingers, it hurt like a bitch but nothing seemed to be broken.<p>

"God, I'm stupid. How am I supposed to play with a broken hand?" she reprimanded herself out loud before remembering why she punched her locker in the first place and her ire spiked again. Not wanting to hurt herself anymore, but still pissed off, Liz leaned back to stomp on the lockers and give them some good roundhouse kicks.

"Dib-weapon, cease your kicky doom on Skoodge's locker and tell Zim your plan," a loud voice interrupted. "_Tell me,_" he said drawing out 'me'.

Liz stopped mid kick and turned to face Zim, her previous anger evaporated when she saw the two aliens. "Oh, sorry," she said lowering her foot before flashing them a smile. "It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you, Zim. So, you're what aliens look like, huh?" she said tilting her head to study them. Zim was a lot shorter than she first thought, he was at least a few inches shorter than herself, Skoodge on the other hand was at least a head taller.

Both were thin but something about their body structure made them look lean and strong, though they didn't have any advisably bulging muscles. Skoodge had a more stocky build than Zim, but was still very lean. Their green skin almost glowed under the awful florescent lighting, giving it an other-worldly soft look and they didn't seem to have any blemishes or imperfections in their skin, just one lovely smooth green color. Their lack of ears and a nose didn't look too bad either, it gave them an exotic appearance.

The only things Liz found distasteful were their wigs, which were clearly wigs, as they looked like cheap Halloween hair. Zim's wig sported a weird mini-scythe lock that resembled a fin more than a scythe on the top of his head, and Skoodge's hair looked like it had never touched a brush. Their eyes were off-putting too, they just didn't look right, too plastic. From what Dib had told her they had ruby red eyes under the contacts and Liz really wanted to see them.

_"LIES!"_ Zim shrieked pulling Liz out of her thoughts. "THE FILTY EARTH-WORM _LIES_!" At her raised eyebrows and surprised look he stopped pointing at her and went back to being calm. "I mean, I am just a normal worm-baby."

Liz looked up at Skoodge whom had remained silent though the whole exchange. He shifted a bit under her stare and slightly shrugged as if to say 'um, I'm human too?'. Liz tilted her head the other way and pretended to study them harder. "Um, I don't know. Your green skin and lack of certain facial features seems rather strange."

"It's a skin condition," Zim said. "A _HORRIBLE_, skin condition that makes me a hideous looking human."

"Oh, I don't know," Liz said and couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "I don't think the two of you look hideous at all."

"Eh?" Zim scrunched up his face in confusion and Liz almost squeed out loud at how adorable he looked, the skin between his eyes where his nose should be scrunched up just like a nose would have done.

"I want to lock you in my closet," Liz accidentally let slip, it was her go-to phrase for when she found something particularly cute.

Zim leaped backwards and pointed at her, "None shall catch ZIM! Now Zim knows the Dib-weapon's plan! Victory for Zim!" he held both fists in the air.

"'Dib-weapon'?" Liz repeated and looked to the taller alien for an explanation.

"You look just like Dib," he said his voice a little less deep than Zim's. "Did he create you to catch us?" he said looking a little worried.

Liz threw her head back and laughed until it overtook her. Zim stopped pointing and watched as Liz clutched at her sides wheezing with laughter and leaning against Skoodge's locker for support. Eventually she was able to calm down to small giggles and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Oh, man," she breathed. "I needed that," she smiled genuinely at them. "No, the closet-thing was just something I say. I don't want to expose or catch either of you, I'll leave that fun stuff for Dib. And quite honestly," she said sobering up a little. "I don't see why you want to take over Earth as Dib says you do, there isn't much to take over. Destroying I can understand as wreaking havoc can be fun, and I would feel tempted to help you out, but unfortunately my loyalties lie elsewhere."

"To Dib?" Skoodge asked.

"Yeah," Liz nodded. "After all he's my—" she never finished as the sounds of shouting came down the hall. "I wonder what's going on?" she mused.

"The Dib-stink is probably letting the Earth-filth beat him again," Zim said distastefully.

Liz's eyes grew wide with worry for a moment before narrowing towards the noise. If she hadn't been so angry over the thought of someone messing with one of her family members she might have questioned Zim's phrasing, but as it was rage boiled through her and she was itching for a fight. "Hold this for me," Liz shoved her backpack at Skoodge and he automatically grabbed it when it was pushed into his chest. It was fairly light as she didn't have any books yet, but she didn't want to be slowed down. Not looking to see if he kept his hold on it or dropped it she booked it down the hall, behind she heard Zim yelling at her.

"Only Zim is allowed to give orders to Skoodge!" he shouted. When she didn't react Zim took off after her. "Do not run when Zim is talking!"

Sighing, Skoodge held onto the human's backpack and followed after them.

It didn't register to Liz that she was being followed. She shoved her way past the few students lingering at the top of the stairs just outside the skool's entrance. They were all looking over the stairs' edge down at the figure huddled in the corner between the stairs and the building. A tall jock was currently kicking at the huddled form.

"HEY!" Liz shouted at the bully just as Zim and Skoodge caught up with her. When the bully looked up annoyed at being interrupted, he was met with two feet colliding with his face, sending him sprawling backwards. The two Irkens decided to stay and watch in order to see how the new human would handle herself.

Dib uncurled when the kicking stopped and stared disbelievingly at Liz standing protectively in front of him. She had landed gracefully in front of Dib her legs set apart and her fists planted at her hips. "L-Liz?" he ventured, but Liz ignored him, her attention on the bully scrambling to his feet.

At seeing that a girl had been the culprit Rob growled at her. "Get out of the way New Girl."

Liz crossed her arms across her chest and glared at him. When she didn't move Rob stood to his full height just past six feet. "That kid is a freak he deserves to get hit. Everyone hates him, so move."

At this point someone from their music class pushed forward. "The new girl is a freak too," the kid sneered from the crowd. "The teacher said she gets all twitchy."

Rob grinned at this new information, it meant he wouldn't have to feel bad for hitting a girl if the girl was a freak too. At the top of the stairs the two Irkens perked up at his new information and grew curious.

"If you want to take the freak's place that's fine with me," Rob said pulling back his fist.

"N-No, Liz!" Dib said using the wall to stand.

Liz didn't move from her spot but uncrossed her arms as Rob's fist flew towards her. At the last second she slid to the side and grabbed his arm. Using his momentum against him she flipped him forward so he landed on his stomach. Still holding his arm, Liz stepped on his spine and bent his arm at an angle. Rob cried out in pain once he gained his breath from the fall.

"Go ahead," Liz taunted leaning more of her weight onto his arm making him whimper. "Call Dib a freak one more time." When he just whimpered Liz applied more pressure. "I _said_ call him a freak again," Liz hissed.

Rob looked up at Dib using the wall for support. Dib just stared at Liz wide-eyed with his mouth hanging open. "Y-You're a f-freak," Rob said to Dib. He then screamed in pain as Liz used her leverage to dislocate his shoulder. Letting go of his limp arm Liz stepped back and let the bully roll over and back away. He bumped into the shocked students behind him and seemed to remember that he wasn't supposed to be afraid. "I-I'll get you for this," he tried to threaten his arm hanging limp at his side, but his voice still quivered.

"You can try," Liz said a took a step towards him, when he flinched she smiled and leaned forward to get in his face. "But remember this, only the insane mess with a Membrane," she said and turned to help the stunned Dib off the wall. Pulling Dib's arm around her neck to help support him she turned to look at Rob over her shoulder. "Oh, I don't think I had a chance to introduce myself. My name is Liz, Liz Membrane." There was a collective gasp as that tidbit of information sunk in.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello. Let me know what you think so far of Liz. I'll be revealing more of her past and the Membrane family history slowly through the story. I'm also exploring some different head-canon ideas through out the plot, but I'm trying to keep it as close to the show as I can. Any questions or clarifications people have I'll answer in my author's notes here. Comment or favorite if you like, and thanks for reading. :)**

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><p>Dib didn't say anything as Liz helped him to the parking lot. In a surprising feat of smarts no one followed them or provoked them on their way. He winced as she leaned him against the car and his brain finally caught up. He eyed his new relative wearily not used to having any one stick up for him, but how she handled Rob didn't sit right with him either. "What was that? You can't just do things like that."<p>

"Anything broken? You bleeding anywhere?" she asked ignoring his comment.

Sucking in air through his teeth Dib took stock of his injuries. "No, just really bruised, but you shouldn't have done that."

"Has this happened before?" Liz asked and he nodded. "Then no, I shouldn't have done that, I should have done worse," Liz scowled. "I should have popped his kneecaps instead of his arm."

"It's not right," Dib said with more conviction, though he was secretly thankful she had stopped them. "You can't go around breaking arms!"

"Well, I didn't see you making any effort to fight back," Liz said. "So I did it for you, and I didn't break his arm, I just dislocated it. He'll be fine, if he wants to report me, let him, though I don't think he will. So, don't worry about it."

"I'm not worried about that, you shouldn't have attacked him like that. It's not right," Dib repeated. "You can't do that again, just ignore them."

"And how has that worked out for you so far?" Liz countered. When Dib looked away Liz sighed. "Does Gaz know this is going on?"

Startled by the odd question Dib answered truthfully, "Yes, but she doesn't care. She's done worse, as long as I don't bother her she leaves me alone."

Liz scowled again at his answer. "She hasn't tried to stop this at all?" Liz grabbed her long braid and tugged on it in frustration. "Her fighting you I can understand, I mean you are siblings after all, but letting someone else hurt her family?" Liz shook her head in disbelief. "Membranes are supposed to stick together. We're _Family_; mess with one of us and you mess with all of us." At the look of confusion on Dib's face Liz frowned and looked away, sighing sadly. "Too much has changed in three hundred years."

"Three hundred?" Skoodge said startling the two as they hadn't noticed the Irken following them to the car. "I thought humans only lived about eighty years." He was still holding Liz's backpack. Next to him Zim also looked curious as to what the humans were talking about, now that he knew the new Liz-human might be a threat to his mission.

"Ninety, if we're lucky," Liz added. "But I suppose I'm a special case. Three hundred years ago I developed an unknown disease and was cryogenically frozen until a cure could be found, which took until yesterday. The one who froze me was my older brother, Dizwald Membrane, his," she jerked her thumb at Dib. "Great-great-great-something grandfather. Dib's my future nephew. We're distantly related, but still family." Liz said the last to Dib. "And I was taught that family always looks out for each other. So whether you like it or not, I'm going to put a stop to the bulling if you don't do it yourself. So either shut-up, or man-up, Dib."

"How can you hurt another human so easily?" Dib asked.

"Easy," Liz said. "I never strike first."

"But you kicked Rob in the face first," Dib protested.

Liz clicked her tongue impatiently. "How many times do I need to say this, Dib, for you to get it? You're family, when they attacked you they attacked me. Besides I only lightly kicked him to get his attention. He threw the first punch." Liz turned away from Dib, done with the conversation, to face Skoodge. She held out her hand, when Skoodge just stared at her hand she made a 'gimme' gesture and he remembered the bag he was clutching and gave it back. "Thanks," she said winking at him.

"Is something wrong with your face, Liz-human? Is it your HORRIBLE DISEASE?" Zim shouted freaked out by the idea that she might be contagious.

Liz rolled her eyes, "Calm your tits, Zim. It's just a gesture us humans do. Besides I've been cured and even if I wasn't it wasn't an illness someone else could catch."

"Tits?" Zim repeated. "What are these 'tits'?"

"These," Liz reached out to playfully pinch Zim's nipples, but all she pinched was his shirt. "Hm?" she ran her hands quickly over Zim's chest completely freaking the Irken out.

"RELEASE ZIM FROM YOUR FEELY HANDS!" he shrieked slapping her hands away.

"Do you not have nipples?" Liz asked Skoodge as Zim had leapt behind the taller Irken to use him as a body shield. "I want to see," she lunged for the bottom of his shirt, but was held back by an arm around her waist.

Dib had grabbed her, "Can you please stop? It's too weird to watch you grope my nemesis."

"Jealous?" Liz smirked at him and he turned red.

"No!" Dib protested viciously.

"What does jelly have to do with the nipples?" Zim asked. Both Irkens were out of reach now, Skoodge eying her wearily. She had tried to attack them but seemingly did not want to do physical harm, which was confusing the warriors.

"Jelly?" Liz repeated. "It has nothing to do with jelly. Jealous means wanting to do or have what another person has. I was insinuating that Dib was the one who wanted to get his hands on you."

"LIZ!" Dib flailed behind her. "I want to capture him to expose his identity not—not what you were doing!" he said unable to even voice it.

"Yeah, sure," Liz said teasing him. "Hey, Zim, I'll tell you what nipples are; they are a human's weak spots."

"Ah ha! Zim now knows the Earth-monkey's secret," Zim threw his fists in the air. "Victory for ZIM! Zim will create an amazing plan and bring the humans to destruction using their nipples against them!" He laughed manically for a moment. "Look forward to our next fight _Dib,"_ Zim said then ran off. Skoodge looked over at the humans once more before following after Zim.

"Liz! What the hell?!" Dib rounded on her.

"Oh, come off it, Dib," Liz waved her hand in the air as if to wave way his anger. "Once he finds out what nipples are he'll realize it was a joke."

"No, he won't," Dib exasperated. "He'll make up some weird plan, I have to go stop him," he said angrily pushing past her to run after Zim.

"Dib!" Liz called after him and rolled her eyes. It was just a joke, neither one of them had to take it so seriously. However, it was only after Dib ran away that Liz realized he had the car keys and she had no idea how to get back to his house. She also had no idea where Zim lived to go chase after them either. Hoping that Gaz was still in skool Liz put on her backpack and went to go search for the purple-haired teen.

Dib ran towards Zim's house as fast as his bruised body would carry him. After today Dib wasn't so sure if Liz being here was a good thing or not. It was nice having someone to talk to who listened and _cared_, but she didn't seem concerned about Zim taking over the world and she just made things... complicated. He didn't have time to keep track of Zim and her if she was prone to violent outbursts as much as Zim was. After dislocating Rob's shoulder on her first day of skool who knew what other trouble she would stir up.

But as Zim's house came into view thoughts of his new relative faded to the back of his mind. For the past five years Dib's mind had been full of Zim and Zim only. How to stop Zim, how to fight Zim, how to defend himself from Zim, how to out wit Zim. Dib was well and truly obsessed, though if asked he would deny it. And as Zim had been on his mind for so long it was hard for his brain to focus on other things, even if they were as interesting as an unfrozen three-hundred-year-old relative, humans were creatures of habit after all.

"Zim!" Dib called out challengingly at the house. "I won't let you exploit humanity!" in all actuality he had pushed the embarrassing nipples topic from his mind. His thoughts were instead focused on Zim's evil ways and that it was his duty as defender of Earth to stop him. Dib vaulted over the fence and ducked and rolled to escape the gnomes' lasers. He made it to the window and timed it so that he ducked and the laser broke the window. Jumping in, Dib's black combat boots crunched the glass underfoot.

Skoodge looked up from the couch with his homework in his lap. He didn't seemed surprised to see the human break in and Dib ignored him as he bolted towards the kitchen where he knew there was an entrance into Zim's underground base. It was an awful elevator entrance, as Dib had to flush himself down into it using the kitchen's toilet. Exiting the elevator Did rolled out in case Zim had been waiting for him with some weapon, but nothing shot at him so Dib sprang to his feet and ran down the hall.

Of course Zim knew exactly where Dib was and he had ordered Skoodge not to interfere with their fight, not that Skoodge would have. Zim laughed in his usual manic manner in awe of his own amazing plan to lure the Dib into his trap. Dib, thinking Zim was deep into plot making, sneaked down the hall towards the laughter. He peered into the lab and saw Zim with his back turned leaning over a table with plans laid out all over. Seeing his chance Dib slowly crept forward. Suddenly Zim smacked his hand down on a remote lying on the table and a cage swept up from the floor trapping Dib.

"Victory for Zim!" Zim said then slowly turned around. "Hello, Dib-prisoner."

"You won't get away with this!" Dib cried out of habit, testing the bars' strength.

"Don't bother trying to escape, the cage is made from superior Irken materials. You are Zim's captive and you will do as Zim says." Zim said approaching the cage. "Now tell Zim of this human weakness, tell me of the nipples. _Tell me_," he wiggled his fingers palms up at Dib.

Dib rolled his eyes. "They aren't a weakness, she lied to you, it was a joke. They're just nubs of flesh," Dib said trying to be as nonchalant as possible about the subject, but he knew his face was turning red.

"Lies? LIES?! She _lied_ to Zim? _LIES_! I will find your weakness human-filth!" Zim pointed at Dib and pressing another button, the cage fell away again so he could attack Dib. Using his spider legs Zim sprang forward and Dib dove low sliding right under Zim's feet. Dib kicked at a spider leg making Zim stumble and Dib backed up to gain a better stance for Zim's next attack.

The two brawled, rolled, punched, scratched and threw random things lying around at each other causing a lot of noise and mess until both were exhausted and neither had come out with a full victory, though Zim always managed to cause more damage. Dib was not only bruised from earlier but had some fresh cuts, scrapes as well as some new bruises.

"Er, Zim?" a voice called from the lab's entrance causing both human and Irken to look back at Skoodge as he peeked around the corner. "It's GIR he-"

"IMMA MEATBALL!" the little robot screamed running into the room covered completely in mud.

Zim screeched at the wet dirt GIR was leaving all over his lab. "GIR cease this at once!" the ball of mud just giggled.

"Awe, somebody wants a hug!" he said turning to run towards Zim.

"STAY AWAY! THE GERMS!" Zim pushed himself to the ceiling using his PAK legs. "We'll finish this later Dib-thing. COMPUTER! GET RID OF THE DIB!" Zim shouted.

"**I guess**_,_" the computer said and a large tube came down over Dib sucking him up and propelling him out of the base and the house onto the lawn where the gnomes hummed to life. Dib quickly scrambled to his feet and fled the yard.

"I'll get you next time Zim!" Dib shouted at the house then turned to make his way back to the Hi-Skool. It was raining out, which is probably how GIR became covered in dirt.

Running, it didn't take him that long to get to the parking lot, though he was soaked when he reached his car. Dib hastily dug out his keys and quickly drove home. Exhausted and hurting he trudged inside throwing his keys into the bowl next to the door and mumbled a greeting to his sister on the couch. She ignored him and continued playing her game. Dib took a long hot shower which did wonders for his aching body then flopped down onto his bed after dressing his wounds and donning clean Pjs. It didn't take long for him to drift off to sleep.

The next morning he woke up sore and possibly even more tired than when he had fallen asleep. He got ready in a daze, forced himself to eat breakfast and waited for his sister so he could drive her to skool. As they walked up the steps his sister spoke up.

"Not that I care, but Liz never came home last night," she said then turned down the hall towards her class.

Dib stood horrified and guilt-stricken, oblivious to the fact that he was standing in the middle of the hall in everyone's way. He had completely forgotten about her.

"You're blocking traffic," a feminine voice said behind him.

Dib spun around to face Liz. "Liz..." he began with a pained voice not even knowing how to apologize for leaving her at skool. It was obvious that she had never gone home. Her braid was a little loose and she was wearing the same outfit as yesterday. Her eye-makeup had smudged a little under her eyes, either that or those were dark circles. But she didn't look upset, she gave him a small smile.

"You're blocking traffic," she repeated then pushed him forward before he caused a riot among the annoyed students filing in.

"Liz, I'm so-"

She held up a hand cutting him off. "No worries. I should be the one apologizing," she said and her smile faltered for a moment, but it was quick. "Were you able to stop Zim?"

"Yeah, we ended in a draw before GIR came in tracking mud everywhere. Zim hates germs and water hurts him," Dib answered.

"GIR?" Liz paused thinking. "The little robot from your stories, right?" and Dib nodded. "Do you have any pictures of it?" again Dib nodded. "Show me them sometime?" she asked.

"Sure, today if you want after skool."

"I'd like that," Liz smiled at him, but Dib felt that it was a little different than before. "I'll find you after skool. I checked my schedule, we don't have music class today. See you later, Dib," Liz gave him a small wave before heading to her first class, English. Dib watched glad that she was okay and not upset with him but he still felt a crushing guilt for forgetting about her. After all he knew what it was like to be forgotten.

As Liz walked away from Dib she mentally patted herself on the shoulder for acting so normal around him. She knew the moment she saw his face that he felt bad about forgetting her and honestly she wasn't mad at him. After he stormed off angrily yesterday and left her alone Liz came to a crushing realization, he might be related to her but she wasn't _his_ family. Her teasing seemed to really upset him. It was just so hard because he looked so much like Dizzy and it was too easy to treat him how she would treat her brother. But Dib wasn't her brother.

It was nice enough of them to let her live in their house, if she couldn't remember where the house was that was her problem. She couldn't rely on Dib. It wasn't fair to him. Gaz had the right attitude; she would tolerate Liz because of their blood ties, but that was all Liz should expect.

Swallowing the crushing sadness, repressing the creeping depression, Liz mentally shook herself, she would keep herself together, she had to. Taking a deep breath Liz entered her English class. She easily spotted Skoodge sitting in the back, when he saw her enter he made eye contact and Liz gave him a small wave. Looking around a moment and discovering that no other student had sat around him, he mimicked the gesture. Taking that as a good sign and just happy to see a familiar face, Liz took the seat next to him.

"Good morning," she said turning to face him as the class hadn't quite started yet. "I don't think I formally introduced myself. I'm Liz," she said held her hand out to him.

"Skoodge," he said staring at her hand and leaning back.

Liz tired not to laugh. "You're supposed to shake it with your hand, it's a custom among humans to shake hands when meeting new people." Her hand drooped a bit and her smiled faltered. "Or at least it was..." she trailed off not knowing if that custom was still prevalent.

Skoodge's antenna twitched under his wig as he sensed her sadness. Somehow it bothered him and he put his hand in hers. Perking back up she gripped his hand and shook it up and down, in turn he gripped hers back and the sensation left his skin tingling through his glove.

"Nice to meet you, Skoodge," she said smiling genuinely, earning a zipper-toothed grin in return. "So how awful is this class?" she whispered seeing as the teacher had entered.

"Not as bad as being on planet Blorch," Skoodge replied.

"Hm," Liz said turning to face the front as the teacher had cleared his throat. "Shouldn't be too bad then." However as the class progressed Liz started to wonder how horrible planet Blorch could be in comparison to this class. Even so, at least it didn't invoke a fit of rage like her music class had. The book they were studying wasn't one she knew as it was written ten years ago, but it was about how doomed the Earth was. Liz had expected it to be interesting as she had similar opinions about the Earth, or at least this city, but the contents of the book left much to be desired. The entire book was just repeating one point in many different ways.

Quickly bored with the class, Liz rested her cheek in her hand and began doodling in her notebook while pretending to listen to what the teacher was saying. Almost absentmindedly she started to turn her lined-paper into a score sheet and began placing down the notes to a song. She didn't even notice that the class was over until Skoodge stood in front of her desk peering down at what she was writing.

"What language is that?" he asked not having seen the strange little symbols before.

Startled out of her blank thoughts Liz looked down to actually _see_ what she had been doodling. "A dead one," she replied flatly then shut her notebook and put it in her backpack. "We have math together too, I think," Liz said standing up bag in hand. "Wanna walk together?"

Skoodge gave a small nod intrigued by the new human and how she so easily talked with him. He marched somewhat leisurely beside her as they walked in silence to their next class. Skoodge was aware of the stares of the other children, but she seemingly ignored them. Under his wig his antennae twitched as he tried to pick up some more of the female human's emotions. Irken antennae were very sensitive, picking up not only sound but the subtle hormones humans released with their different emotions.

However, both he and Zim hadn't noticed the scents until they had grown taller, their height having increased a lot of their senses. He did detect a subtle difference from yesterday in Liz-human, he couldn't place it but the scent or rather taste of her emotions was more bland today. Skoodge wanted to ask what had happened to cause the change, but he wasn't used to talking to humans about feeling-things.

They arrived at math class and Skoodge sat in his usual seat in the back and to his surprise Liz-human followed and sat next to him, even though there were plenty other empty seats still in other areas. She chuckled as he looked around.

"Even though I only met you yesterday, it's nice to be with familiar faces, and the others seem to be a little weary of me," Liz said nodding towards the whispering students. They had done the same in the class before too.

Before Skoodge could answer the teacher began the class. Liz wasn't sure if she was happy or annoyed when she realized that three hundred years hadn't changed math class one bit, and she hated it as much as ever and ended up doodling more in her notebook. This time she didn't let her mind wander and just drew generic doodles in the margins, until she felt Skoodge's eyes watching her draw.

Glancing up at the teacher to make sure he wasn't looking, Liz flipped the page and wrote: _Sorry about yesterday. I took my teasing a little too far. _She then pushed her notebook towards Skoodge so he could read it. Skoodge stared at the page, not understanding. He gave her a confused look. Liz pulled the note back and wrote: _At the car, yesterday? Dib was pretty pissed that I misled you guys like that. What happened?_

Skoodge's antennae bumped the top of his wig, without it they would have stood straight up as understanding and surprise came over him. Taking his own pen he scratched down his reply under hers, his handwriting blocky: **Dib-human told Zim that you lied. Then they fought.**

Liz smiled at the way Skoodge addressed Dib then wrote back as they continued their conversation passing her notebook back and forth.

_Was it a bad fight? _

**It was normal.**

_Did he get mad at you too?_

**No. Dib-human only fights with Zim. He ignores me most of the time. Zim does not like it when we talk. **

_Why? _

**He does not want me to give away any information. **

_Do you think Zim will get mad if we talk? _

**Yes. If you are working with Dib-human to expose us and stop Zim's mission.**

_What if I didn't want to expose your identity? Or stop Zim?_

**You want Zim to destroy your planet?**

_I would be sad if the planet was gone, mostly because I'm still on it. Haha. But I won't interfere because I think Dib would get mad if I got involved in his mission to stop Zim. If Dib asked I would help him because we're__ related, but I get the feeling that fighting is their thing. I wouldn't want to get in the way of their quality time together. _

Liz drew a small smiley face with its tongue hanging out next to her response. Skoodge read her response and noted how she had crossed out the word 'family' and wrote 'related' instead. As far as he knew the two words meant the same thing. He would have to ask what the difference meant later.

**You will not tell the other humans about us?**

_Why would I want to? If you get taken away we wouldn't be in class together anymore._

Liz drew a little figure with two zig-zag locks on the side of its face sitting at a desk and looking sad as it stared at the empty desk next to it.

**You could talk to the other human children.**

_NO!__ They all look stupid and boring. I want nothing to do with the students here._

Liz drew a mad face next to her response. Skoodge was about to respond when the bell rang signaling the end of class. She closed her notebook and stuffed it in her backpack. "I have history next then a double biology lab, both with Zim, any suggestions for getting along with him?"

"Why do you want to?" Skoodge asked. "You are human and Dib-relative."

"I've never met any aliens before," Liz said in a low voice so not to be overheard. "Besides, the both of you are pretty cute," she winked at him and quickly left class before he could respond. Skoodge watched her go blinking in confusion as far as he knew things called 'cute' were small and fluffy, of which he was neither.

Liz smiled to herself as she left the confused alien, but hesitated before entering her next class. Her personality was fun and teasing, especially to people she liked and her family. That was how she acted towards Dizzy and thus towards Dib, but her brother was dead, years and years dead. However to her Dizzy was alive just a few days ago. Suddenly it all became real. Her brother was dead and she was alone. Tears pricked at her eyes and Liz spun around, she couldn't go to class now, and bumped right into Zim.

"Sorry," Liz muttered and tried to step around him but he stepped into her path and crossed his arms across his chest glaring at her.

"You _lied_ to Zim," he said menacingly.

"Look, I'm sorry. I already apologized to Skoodge, can I grovel for forgiveness later?" Liz said trying to hold back the flood of emotions. She just wanted to be alone to grieve.

"Hm, yes. You shall beg for forgiveness, and grovel. Oh, the grovelling you shall do," Zim said lowering his voice. "Now beg for Zim filthy Earth-worm!"

Liz opened her mouth to fake grovel so she could quickly leave, but was interrupted by an accusing voice behind her. "Zim! What are you up to now?" Dib said coming to stand next to Liz.

"Your human-relative was just about to admit how superior the Irken race is. She will be Zim's first Earth slave."

"In your dreams, space-boy!" Dib shouted stepping in front of Liz. "I won't let you take anyone as a slave," he said and lunged towards Zim who leapt out of the way using four thin metal legs that sprang out from the pod on his back.

"HA! You will never catch Zim, NEVER!" he said and bolted down the hall on his metal legs with Dib in hot pursuit. Liz watched as the two ran off and looked around to see the lack of reactions from everyone.

"Didn't anyone see that?" Liz asked a passing student.

"Dib's always being crazy, and so's the green kid, just leave them alone," the kid answered before entering class.

Liz shook her head in disbelief, how could people have become so blind so... stupid. With a shaky sigh Liz turned in the opposite direction that the boys ran in. Seeing Dib hadn't helped block her emotions, if anything it made her heart squeeze tighter. She needed to find a quiet place and collect herself or eventually she would have a breakdown in front of Dib and she didn't want to put that on him. It seemed like he had enough to deal with as it was. Climbing some stairs Liz jimmied a few locks open and found access to the skool's roof. Going around to sit behind the stairwell she curled up pressing her face into her knees and let the grief take her.


	6. Chapter 6

**This is a long one. Here is where Liz's amazing observational skills start to cause problems for poor Dib ;)**

* * *

><p>The bell rang signaling it was time for lunch, but Liz didn't move from her spot along the wall. She didn't want to sit awkwardly with Dib and Gaz while she watched them eat. Dib would feel guilty and probably share his lunch with her, but Liz wasn't hungry despite the fact that she hadn't eaten anything since yesterday.<p>

"Awe, why's yous all sad?" a small high-pitched voice asked, startling Liz out of her thoughts to look up. She was sure no one else had been up here. Liz blinked at the green and black dog in front of her, or more accurately the thing wearing a zip-up costume that looked like a green and black dog. But that wasn't the weirdest thing, above the dog floating in the air was a small round moose. It made an inquisitive squeaking noise.

"Um," Liz said looking around to see if anyone else was around to see this or if it was a prank, seeing no one she looked back to the two creatures staring at her, waiting for her answer. "Feeling lonely I guess."

"Yous look like you need a hug!" the little green dog smiled and jumped on her as the little moose flew into her chest. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around the two, more to keep herself balanced than return the hug. She patted their heads and gave them a hesitant smile. The little dog jumped back and peered up at her. "You wanna know a secret?" he asked then continued before Liz could reply. "THERE'S A CUPCAKE IN MY HEAD!" he squealed then pulled off the hood of his costume. Liz blinked in surprise at the robot with glowing teal eyes and a little antennae bob on his head. Opening the top of his head he took out a cupcake and shoved it into his mouth eating it happily. After about five seconds the robot looked down at the cupcake wrapper and began to cry. "I miss my cupcake."

Liz smiled at the little robot, "Don't cry GIR," she said putting two and two together. "I know a way to cheer you up," Liz stood and plucked the little round moose off her head where it had decided to settle. She grabbed the moose's small paws and gently began spinning him around as she began to sing out a tune with a humming 'mmmmm' sound then sang out the lyrics:

_Little bitty pretty one  
>Come on and talk a to me<br>A lovey dovey dovey one  
>Come sit down on my knee<em>

Liz sang out the old cheery song and in-between the verses the little moose soon began to sing along with her but sang out the word 'Nyah' instead of 'woah'. GIR stuck out his tongue and began to dance as she spun the moose around the roof and continued the song. After the next chorus Liz sang along with the moose using his word 'Nyah' so they could harmonize together. By the end of the song Liz's mood was much better. Singing always made her feel better, though she never sang like this in front of anyone. Her brother especially would make fun of her for liking oldies, he thought it didn't fit her personality or her style. So she _never_ sang or listened to them in front of people.

But she had no problems singing for the little robot, so for the rest of lunch Liz sang some her favorite oldies songs as she danced around the roof sometimes with the little moose and sometimes dancing around by herself or next to GIR. However, the last song was interrupted by the bell ringing signaling that lunch was over.

"Sorry, guys, I really need to get to class. I can't keep skipping," Liz told them.

"Awe, but I wanted to dance like a taco," GIR said sadly and the little moose squeaked in agreement.

"Well," Liz thought a moment. "How about the two of you came back here the same time tomorrow during lunch and I'll sing some more for you."

To show his excitement GIR fell to the floor and began screaming as he pumped his little black legs spinning around in a circle. Then he abruptly stopped and jumped up. "IMMA GO EAT TACOS!" he screamed and ran off the roof. Liz gasped in alarm but her fears were short lived as she saw his legs turn into rockets and jetted off with the little moose following behind him.

Feeling one hundred percent better Liz bounded down the stairs and had to stop herself from humming happily down the hall. Upon entering her biology class she was one of the last one to arrive and the only seat left was next to Zim. He looked a bit roughed up, his uniform was a bit dirty and his wig was messy, a piece of hair from the fin-lock had detached itself and flopped over.

"You okay?" she asked sitting down. "Your wig's a mess."

"Wig?!" Zim said loudly and a bit panicked. "Zim wears no wig. I am a normal hairy human."

Liz rolled her eyes. "Well, then Zim-human, let me apologize to you for yesterday by fixing your hair," she said copying his way of addressing people. When he eyed her suspiciously she added, "A normal human would let me fix their hair."

"I am normal," he said reluctantly sitting still. Liz placed her hand on his head to steady his wig as she worked over the awful black thing. Zim watched her out of the corners of his eyes as she groomed him.

"You really need a better wig," she mumbled as she tried to get the plasticy thing to look half-way decent. "This doesn't look or feel like normal hair at all."

"Lies, my disguise is perfect," Zim mumbled trying not to move. He didn't mind it so much that this inferior human was tending to him. She would make a good slave, when the armada came maybe he would keep her alive as well.

"For the morons around here, yeah it is, but it still looks awful," Liz answered back absentmindedly smoothing down all the fibers. "There," she said approvingly.

"Oooooo!" came a taunting voice behind the two. "The new girl is all over Zim," the teenage boy leered at the two. "Hey everyone Zim's dating the new girl!"

There was a round of Ooo's and before Zim could shout whatever he was going to shout, Liz slapped her hand over his mouth. "Oh, yeah right," Liz said loudly rolling her eyes. "Like I have energy for Zim when your mom is such a good lay."

The kid behind her stared slack-jawed as a few of the quicker kids snickered, then he finally caught on and blushed in anger and embarrassment. Liz stared him down until he hunkered down in his seat and looked away. She glared at him once more for good measure then turned back to Zim and took her hand away from his mouth. "And that Zim is how you handle assholes, you have to be a dick," Liz said imparting him with her words of wisdom.

Zim squinted one eye at her. "Tell Zim more."

"Maybe later," Liz said as she pointed to the teacher, he had finished making all the lab preparations and stood to gain everyone's attention.

"Hello, class today we're going to plant some seeds and see what different external stimuli affect their growth," their biology teacher began and passed out a few small cups, seeds, and dirt. They spent the first half planting and prepping their small cups and then the second half coming up with different things to subject their plants to. The first half of the class was especially difficult for Zim as he wanted nothing to do with the dirt and Liz ended up helping him. When the bell rang signaling the end of the day Liz gathered up her stuff as the other kids left and had been about to say good-bye to Zim when Dib burst into the room.

"Liz!" he panted "Are you okay?" he glared at Zim. "I tried to get here earlier but I couldn't escape my class."

"Yeah, Dib, I'm fine," Liz said slowly not sure where this was coming from.

"You disappeared right after Zim did, what did he do this time?" Dib glared at Zim.

"LIES!" Zim pointed at Dib. "Zim has done nothing yet to the Liz-human."

"Yet?" Dib repeated. "What are you planning Zim? Huh? Huh?"

"Dib," Liz stepped between the two. "He hasn't done anything."

"Then where were you at lunch?" Dib asked. "I was really worried."

Liz stared and she could feel her cheeks turning pink with pleasure that Dib cared enough to be worried about her. She thought he would pretty much start to ignore her like Gaz, not that she would blame him, but to know he was worried about her made her happy. "I was just in therapy," she told him not necessarily lying, singing had been very therapeutic for her. "I'm going to have to go every lunch period."

"Oh," Dib said calming down.

"Are we leaving?" Liz asked hoping to get Dib to bring her home before he and Zim started chasing each other. She really didn't want to spend another night at the skool.

"Yeah, sure," Dib said to her then turned to Zim. "But I'll stop whatever plans you have Zim!"

"You can try worm-baby!" Zim challenged.

"Don't think I won't!" Dib said then realized how odd that phrase was. To hide his embarrassment he grabbed Liz by the arm and dragged her out of class. Liz waved to Zim, but he just glared at Dib's fleeing form. As Dib dragged her down the hall muttering about Zim to himself they passed Skoodge and when she waved he waved back.

"What about Gaz?" Liz asked when Dib unlocked his car.

"She usually gets a ride to the mall from one of her gamer friends and stays there most of the day," Dib said. "They give her a ride home too sometimes, if not she'll call." He paused and nervously adjusted the rear view mirror as Liz buckled in. "We should get you a phone to," he let out a shaky breath. "I feel really bad about yesterday. I know what it's like to be left behind and forgotten. And I can't believe I left you here. I was fighting Zim and even though it's just an excuse I've been fighting and thinking about just him for the past five years that it's hard to remember other things. If you had a phone you could call me anytime you need to."

"It's okay, Dib, seriously," Liz said. "I feel bad too. I mean you don't know me from Jack. I just dropped into your life and your dad took off leaving you and Gaz to help me out. Even if we're related I know it's hard for you to suddenly accept me into your home. I'm just grateful that you were worried about me. Also I won't interfere with your life anymore, if that's what you want, I can just leave you alone."

"No, no, it's just," Dib rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I'm just not used to someone actually listening to me. Zim's probably the only other living thing I have daily interactions with and he's an alien trying to take over the world," Dib laughed darkly. "How sad it that?"

"Why are you upset about it?" Liz asked. "From what you told me at the mall you love all paranormal stuff, shouldn't daily interactions with an alien take you to cloud nine?"

"Cloud what?" Dib asked but continued anyway, "Yeah, I've always known aliens were real and I've met a few others. I even met Zim's leaders once and sort of danced for them," Dib blushed remembering that random bit from his childhood as Liz snorted out a short laugh. Dib quickly went on before she could ask him more about that incident. "It's been my life mission to expose Zim and show the world that aliens are real then get him on an autopsy table and get revenge for Earth."

"Really?" Liz raised an eyebrow at him. "The two of you have been together for five years and you want to let the government take him and do whatever they want while you sit at home and never see or hear about him again?"

"If I show the world aliens are real, they'll see that I was right all along and I'll finally get recognition and be appreciated," Dib said gripping the steering wheel.

"Dib," Liz touched his shoulder and waited until honey eyes met honey eyes. "You really want to kill the only person who has paid attention to you just to get a few others to look your way? When there is no guarantee that it will even work? And for how long will it last? You of all people should know how ignorant people are. How long until the next thing comes along and they forget about you again?"

"I..." Dib looked away. What Liz said made sense and maybe it made sense because he had thought the same things in the back of his mind all along. If so, what about these past five years? What had he been fighting for all this time?

"Yourself?" Liz answered, as he had spoken aloud. He flushed when he realized this and turned towards her as she continued. "Maybe you fight him to prove something to yourself?" when he just continued staring Liz smiled. "Think about it, Dib," Liz leaned back in her seat.

"Um, okay," Dib started the engine and took them home. When they got back Liz went upstairs to change and Dib went to his room and sat on his bed. He looked around at the numerous pictures of Zim, and pictures about Zim plastered all over his walls. Blurry pictures of Zim in and out of disguise, pictures of GIR, a few of Skoodge in Zim's base. He had some of the weapons Zim had made before, some shots of inside his base. He even had an entire external hard drive full of footage from the secret cameras he had planted in Zim's house, and he got more footage every day as the cameras were still there.

When he wasn't working on skool work, which never took him long anyway, he was coming up with schemes to catch Zim, or he was fighting with Zim or spying on Zim. What would his life be like if he had been able to turn Zim in? Would it be like the simulation Zim had made a few years back or would it be like Liz predicted? And if Zim was gone, what would he do then?

Dib looked around his room and for the first time he realized himself how obsessed he had become. If he did turn Zim in what were the chances that they would let some kid in on their research, if anything they would invite his dad and he would be pushed aside again. His dad might end up getting all the credit instead of his 'insane' son, that would certainly make for a better story. "Professor Membrane discovers aliens using Real Science," Dib muttered bitterly. Disgusted with that highly realistic thought Dib flopped down onto his bed and stared up at his ceiling, he had pictures up there too.

Groaning Dib rolled onto his stomach and planted his face into his pillow. If he turned Zim in and was forgotten again Dib didn't know what he would do. How would skool be if he didn't skip it half the time to chase after Zim? Would he be able to stomach the same treatment from his peers even after they found out he had been correct? No. He wouldn't.

His thoughts started to go wild as he began to imagine what his life would be like without Zim or what it would have been like if Zim never came. Maybe he would have eventually gone crazy and maybe he would be at the crazy house for boys. He let his thoughts run wild as he imaged how much his life would suck if he didn't have a rival.

Eventually there was a light knocking on his door. Dib raised his head and started at his door a moment. Gaz never knocked so who...Liz! Dib flushed with embarrassment at forgetting her once his head became filled with Zim. He really would need to get her a phone.

"Come in," Dib called sitting up.

"Hey, Dib," she poked her head in her hair pulled back in a tight neat braid again. "You said you would show—wow," she cut herself off as she took in the amount of pictures covering his walls. On her first day here she hadn't paid attention to what was in the room and had just went straight to his closet to get some clothes. Wide-eyed she fully opened the door and stepped into his room looking all around her.

Suddenly, Dib felt self-conscious. "They're for research. I needed to study him if I was ever going to find his weaknesses."

"Well, have you found any?" Liz asked still taken-in by results of a five year obsession.

"Yes, he can't eat most foods on Earth, especially meat, it burns him, and water, water burns him too," Dib said.

"Water?" Liz said startled. "I can understand that, your rain is like acid compared to before."

"What, really?" Dib said curious. "How do you...Oh." Understanding dawned on him. The reason Liz wasn't by his car the other day, she had taken shelter from the rain. "It burns you too?"

"Probably, if I stood out in it too long. As it is, it just stings like a bitch," Liz said. "The tap water is filtered somewhat so it doesn't sting too bad, I'm able to take a real quick shower without too much discomfort. My guess is that it's from pollution and everyone today has built up a tolerance to it, so it doesn't bother you." Liz stared at a blurred picture of what looked like a slab of meat stuck to Zim's head obviously causing him pain. "Maybe I should avoid meat for now too."

"We can do some tests in my dad's lab downstairs and see if there is a way to help or check on what things you might react badly to," Dib offered.

"Hm, maybe later," Liz said trying to sound calm but hating the idea of going into a lab again. To distract Dib from pushing the idea she pulled one picture off the wall that wasn't blurry. It clearly depicted Zim without his disguise as he sat on the couch, presumably watching TV. It must have been an older picture because Zim looked a lot shorter. "Is this what they look like without the wigs and contacts?" Liz asked staring at the picture.

"Yeah," Dib said peering over her shoulder. "See there are his antennae, I believe that they can pick up sounds and vibrations and maybe some types of scents too, like insects can, though I think he has another way of smelling because his face scrunches up sometimes like he can smell. His eyes are a ruby color, which is hard to tell from this picture, this one shows it better," Dib pulled off a different picture that was a too-close shot of Zim's face, but it did give a clearer idea of what color his eyes were. "Not all Irkens have the same eye color, I've seen some that are purple too."

"Do you have any of Skoodge without his disguise?" Liz asked.

"Um," Dib looked around his wall then found one and pulled it off handing it to Liz. "Here, he has the same eye-coloring as Zim."

Liz looked at the photo and was surprised that this one was pretty decent and clearly showed Skoodge's antennae and his ruby eyes, it was another old one however, as Skoodge was pretty short and a bit pudgy too, causing Liz to almost giggle. "What about a more recent one?" Liz asked.

"Yeah, this, this, and this one are from last week," he said pointing to a few pictures of Zim. "Here he's taking GIR for a walk, or well, more like dragging him. This one was right before he tried to use ice cream as a super weapon, this is from last month, and this one-"

"-Dib," Liz cut him off. "I mean of Skoodge."

"Oh, um," Dib looked around his wall. "Maybe I have one on file," he said going to his computer. Booting it up he started going through his files. "I can probably get a screenshot from the video."

"You've video-tapped them?" Liz asked coming up behind Dib.

"Yeah, I have multiple cameras installed around their base, but I still haven't managed to get some underground in his lab yet. I have a live feed too, see," he said pulling up the camera positioned in Zim's living room which was currently empty. "This one is in the ceiling, but is too far away to pick up any sound. I had a good one in Zim's kitchen but it got destroyed by GIR and I haven't had the opportunity to replace it."

"Do you have one in his bedroom too? His bathroom?" Liz asked and Dib missed the concerned tone in her voice.

"No," he answered honestly. "I don't think Irkens sleep much if at all. If he has a resting place it's probably in the underground part of his base. Zim bathes in paste to protect himself from water and he's obsessed with germs so I'm sure he has a bathing station underground somewhere too."

"If you found those places would you put cameras there and watch him bathe or change?" Liz asked.

Dib saw her disapproving face in the reflection of the screen and turned to face her. "What Liz? He's an alien, he—"

"—Would you watch?" Liz interrupted him, crossing her arms and pinning Dib in his seat with her scrutinizing eyes. "Would you sit here and watch Zim go into his room remove his wig and contacts, slowly pull his shirt over his head exposing his bare chest? Would you watch him kick off his boots, pull off his gloves, bring his bare hands to the waist of his pants and—,"

"STOP!" Dib clasped his hands over Liz's mouth, his ears and his entire face had turned a bright red. "Don't say anymore!" Behind his hands he felt her smile so he removed them and looked away.

"So, would you?" Liz asked leaning down putting herself in his personal space. She gripped the sides of his chair both for support and so he couldn't escape. "Would you want to watch?" she asked a devilish smile on her lips.

"I...I..." Dib looked down so Liz grabbed his chin tilting his head up to look at her.

"Answer, Dib."

"..._yes_," he whispered and shamefully closed his eyes.

"Then to avoid temptation, you'd better not place any cameras in those locations," Liz said easing back. And wanting to make her point perfectly clear she asked. "Would you watch Skoodge?"

"No," came the instant and immediate reply startling Dib as the word left his mouth. He glanced up at Liz.

"What's the real reason you've spent five years chasing Zim? Think about it," Liz said then left his room closing the door behind her. Dib stared at the door, almost covered in pictures of Zim, and a dreaded feeling came over him. When had his obsession shifted from all paranormal stuff and aliens to just Zim?

Closing his eyes he pinched the bridge of his nose and collapsed back in his computer chair. His mind was filled with Zim and now thanks to Liz, he kept imagining Zim pulling off his pink invader shirt to reveal smooth green skin. He imagined how his antennae might flatten as he pulled it off, but perk up once he was bare-chested. Would Zim be cold without his uniform, would he run his hands along his arms and skin to try and warm himself up? Would he simply kick off his boots or would he sit on his bed and slowly pull one off at a time.

He could imagine Zim biting the finger of his glove with his zipper-like sharp teeth and pull his arm away as more green flesh was revealed until his claw-like hand was free. He imagined him trailing his sharp fingertips along his arms relieved to have the tight material off. Dib imagined Zim walking around in only his black tight pants, going into a bathroom and turning on a shower, but instead of water maybe some cleaning gel would spew out. Zim would wait until the gel warmed up then run his clawed-fingertips along the waist band of his pants and just slipping his fingers under the band, slowly pull them away from his thin waist, exposing more of his lower abdomen and the upper part of his thigh then lower until—

Dib jumped up, startling himself out of his erotic thoughts when he felt his own hand slip under the edge of his black jeans. Dib gasped as he stared down at himself. He was aroused. No. No. No. No. No. He wasn't attracted to Zim. He didn't think of Zim in _that_ way. It was Liz, she just said some suggestive things and it stimulated his poor teenage brain. A shower. That's what he needed. A cold one. Grabbing some clothes Dib headed straight to the bathroom and took the coldest shower of his life. After dressing he dropped off his dirty clothes into his closet hamper, and had been about to sit back down at his computer when he suddenly became conscious of all the pictures of Zim. Instead he decided that it would be a great night to watch TV.

A little while later Liz came down and seeing him at the couch crept up behind him intending on surprising him, but years of stalking and being stalked made Dib really sensitive to such things, Liz had only made it half-way to the couch before he turned. She straightened from her half-crouch and _tsked_ in disappointment. Dib chuckled and Liz joined him on the couch.

"Any plans for tonight?" she asked.

"Want to get a phone?" Dib suggested and stood. He still had his dad's card so they could buy it using that.

"Sure, but you'll probably have to show me how to use it," Liz shrugged. "New technology and stuff is probably a lot different from what I'm used to."

"I can do that, I'm really good with tech stuff, I once re-programed an Irken ship," Dib said and at her inquisitively raised eyebrow Dib went into the story as they drove to the mall. Dib picked out a simple phone model for her since she seemed a little overwhelmed at the extensions that came with some of the models, though Dib liked the laser add-ons, but Liz politely refused. Her model was very basic, it made calls, messaged and had online functioning, so it ended up being a very cheap phone, but Liz seemed happy with it.

For dinner they grabbed a pizza from Bloaties to take home. They ate pizza, which Liz had no problems eating after blotting off a lot of grease with napkins, and watched re-runs of Mysterious Mysteries. One of the re-runs happened to be the one featuring him and Zim and Liz ended up on the floor laughing, much to Dib's embarrassment. He tried to change the channel but Liz had wrestled the remote from him and wedged it in her bra effectively stopping him from even attempting to retrieve it.

"You fight dirty," Dib pouted.

"Of course," Liz grinned at him. "It's in my blood. Besides I liked seeing the way you immediately backed down. Breasts!" Liz fist pumped and Dib turned bright red at the word. "The ultimate defense."

"It's still not fair," Dib mumbled as he resigned himself to watching the rest of the episode from his childhood. If he hadn't been so distracted by the awkward topic of female anatomy he might have remembered to question her about the blood comment.

Dib and Liz stayed up watching TV until Gaz got home. At Liz's suggestion they saved some pizza for her, which had been a very smart thing to do as Gaz had been about to order the two to leave her alone while she watched TV and played her Game Slave, but with the offering of her favorite pizza she begrudgingly let them stay.

They watched a monster movie and Liz was surprised by the lack of advancement in movie effects. The quality wasn't that much different from what she knew, actually it seemed a little worse.

"People are stupid," was Gaz's insightful reply and Liz nodded. Why waste money on effects when people were impressed just as much with less?

"I can't say I'm excited with how things turned out," Liz admitted to the two. "This city is teaming with pollution, even the plants look different less vibrant than before. And the people," Liz shuddered. "Is it just me or are some of them supremely ugly?"

"I've never noticed," Dib admitted.

"That's because all you look at is Zim," Gaz replied not looking up from her game. "I doubt you even look at girls."

"That's not true!" Dib objected. "I've looked at girls before," he said almost pouting.

"Would you want their picture in your room ?" Liz asked.

"No," Dib answered without thinking. Realizing what Liz was driving at he turned to glare at her and found both Liz and his sister grinning at him. "Just drop it okay!?"

"Okay, Dib" Liz said with a grin, then turned to Gaz. "What about you? Anyone stalk-worthy in your class?" Next to her Dib huffed at the slight barb about him.

"Not in my class," Gaz said cryptically then hopped off the couch. "I'm going to bed," she told them and went upstairs ending that conversation.

"Hmm," Liz said thoughtfully. "I wonder what kind of guy he is to attract her interest."

"What do you mean?" Dib asked. "She said she wasn't interested in anyone."

"Dib," Liz raised her eyebrow at him. "Really? You need to learn to read between the lines. She said no one in _class _had caught her interest."

Dib frowned. "You mean there might be someone else not in her class that she likes? Who!?" He scowled, the perfect image of an older brother.

Liz laughed. "I wouldn't involve myself if I were you. Gaz looks pretty tough, she can handle herself. You can be the protective older brother if she ever brings him home."

"You know who it is?" Dib said scowling at her now.

"No I don't, Mr. Paranoid." Liz rolled her eyes. "Even if I did I wouldn't say."

"Why?"

"It's a sisters thing," Liz shrugged. A yawn escaped her lips. "I'm going to bed, see you in the morning Dib." She grinned wickedly at him, "have _pleasant _dreams."

Dib blushed and threw a couch pillow at her. Liz dodged it and bolted up the stairs laughing. A little while later, once he was sure both girls were done with the bathroom he got ready for bed himself. That night thanks to Liz's unnecessary comment he had weird green-filled dreams and woke up in a sweat. While he couldn't remember what they were, the state he found his body in was a clear indication of what kind of dreams they were. Highly embarrassed Dib was thankful that the dreams had woken him up earlier than usual and he was able to hop in the shower first that morning, he took another quick cold shower and left the bathroom before he invoked the wrath of his sister for using it first.

As he left the bathroom the two girls emerged from their own rooms and stared at each other. Dib was sure he was about to witness a horrifying fight until Liz spoke up.

"I showered last night."

Gaz just nodded then both girls entered the bathroom and the door closed behind them. Dib released the breath he had been holding and went downstairs to make himself breakfast. Knowing he had plenty of time before the girls came down he sat at the kitchen table and leisurely ate while reading one of his paranormal magazines. About forty minuets later both girls came downstairs.

"You'd better not have eaten the last of the cereal," Gaz warned. In response Dib shook the box to show there was plenty left. He had learned the hard way long ago not to eat the last of _anything. _

After Gaz filled her bowl Liz took the box and read the ingredients on the side. She pulled out one piece of cereal and chewed it cautiously. "Taste's fine," she commented and had been about to pour herself a bowl but stopped and eyed Dib's glass of milk. She pointed to it questioningly, "can I?" Dib nodded chewing as he watched her take a sip. She rolled it around her mouth then suddenly slapped a hand to her lips and rushed to the sink and spat it out, running the tap water to rinse out her mouth, she winced at the water but continued anyway.

"Are you okay?" Dib asked.

"Ugh, how can you stomach that stuff?" Liz said disdainfully. "It doesn't taste like milk at all. I think I'll just have toast," she said and opened the bread box. Seeing two bags of bread she made the wise decision to not choose the one labeled "super bread". Popping the bread in the toaster she decided jam was the safest thing to put on it, she also ate a few handfuls of the cereal dry.

"What's your problem?" Gaz asked almost interested.

"She's sensitive to the chemicals we use in water and apparently in some foods too," Dib frowned as she ate. "We're going to have to find a way to help you stomach normal food."

"Ugh, no," Liz shot down that idea instantly. "I'd rather try to see if there are more organic food options. I'm not a bad cook, I can always make my own stuff."

"You can cook, meals?" Gaz asked fully interested now.

"Yeah, I'm better at baking though," Liz admitted. "Dinner was always Dizzy's job as he said anything I made turned out too sweet, or burned," Liz shrugged. "Baking is interesting, cooking chicken isn't, so I would tend to forget I was cooking it. After one too many burned meals Dizzy declared himself Overlord of Dinner and banished me to making sandwiches and desserts only," Liz smiled at the memory.

"What about your parents?" Dib asked.

"Dead," Liz answered flatly, almost emotionless, which was weird to Dib since she seemed so fixated on family-ness. "Dizzy was eighteen and I was fourteen when they died. Thankfully, Dizzy was old enough to take legal charge of me so we weren't separated, and we had a lot of support. Our parents were always busy with their work so they weren't home that much anyway. Dizzy and the others we lived with were the ones who took care of me, it wasn't that hard for us to adjust," Liz gave them a half smile. "What about your mom?" Liz asked having noticed her absence.

"We don't have one," Dib said just as flatly having found this out a few years back. "We're clones, experiments of our dad's to see if he could create his own children," Dib looked thoughtful for a moment. "Though I suppose we might technically have a mom if he used two different DNA samples, or at least he did for Gaz since she doesn't have black hair like I do."

"Hmm," Liz said thoughtfully not at all phased by this new information and Gaz seemed less than interested, having gone back to her game. "I guess this means we're one branch closer on the genetic family tree then," Liz mused.

"I guess we are," Dib said pleased at her reaction, he always thought that bit of information made him more of a freak, so he didn't advertise his origins.

"Enough of this," Gaz said standing to put her bowl in the skin. "Drive me to Skool now." Liz and Dib followed suit.

When they arrived at Skool Dib gave his sister her lunch and she took it without word and left. "Here," Dib said handing Liz her lunch. "It's the same as last time, but at least you know you can eat it. I'll see you at lunch?"

"Oh," Liz said thankfully taking the brown bag. "Um, I can't go to lunch with you guys. I have my therapy stuff."

"Oh, right," Dib said clearly disappointed. "Well, call me if anything happens, otherwise I'll see you after skool. It's a Friday today so maybe we can do something?" he asked hopefully, he never had anyone to do anything with on the weekends as his sister tended to avoid him even more then.

"Yeah," Liz grinned. "It'll be fun." She waved good-bye to Dib and went to her first class with Skoodge. He straightened up when she walked in and smiled a little when she sat next to him. "Good-morning, Skoodge."

"Good-morning, Liz-human," Skoodge said familiar with the weird human custom of saying what time it was and putting the word 'good' in front of it.

"Why the weird add-on to my name?" Liz asked.

"Er, it's just how my PAK translates names from Irken," Skoodge said.

"So you have a built in translator or something?" she asked and when Skoodge nodded she tilted her head at him. "Well, calling me Liz-human is a mouthful, Just call me Liz," she smiled.

"Liz," he said in confirmation then after a pause made an observation. "It's different," he pointed to her head.

"Oh," Liz put a hand to her braid pleased that he noticed. She was sporting two french-braids that trailed down from her temples combing into one braid at the base of her neck. "I like to alternate between different styles."

"Not many humans change their hair," he observed looking around at the other students whom had pretty much looked the same since he had known them.

"It used to be a popular thing to do," Liz commented looking around as well. "The benefit of having long hair is that I have more styling options, though I mostly keep it braided as it's easier to take care of and gets in the way less." Their conversation pretty much ended there as Skoodge didn't have much more to comment on, not knowing much about human styles, and the teacher began class. The rest of English class passed without incident and in Math class Liz opened her notebook, wrote a short sentence and passed it to Skoodge. Math was going to be her note passing class Liz decided.

_I made up with Dib. _

**Good. It is hard to live with another if you are mad at them.**

_Is this coming from experience? Haha! Is living with Zim hard?_

**It is Zim's base I live in. It is generous of him to let me stay so I try not to make him mad.**

_Why don't you have your own place?_

**I was sent here as an assistant to Zim. I had taken over planet Blorch but My Tallest didn't like how short I was so they gave the credit to another taller Irken and sent me to a training planet. They promised me a promotion if I passed, I did, but I was sent to Zim as an assistant instead. Invaders work alone so it was an insult to Zim insinuating that he needed help and to me to give me a job that does not exist. **

_Just because you were short they let someone else take all the credit?! What BASTARDS! That's the most stupid thing I have ever heard!_

Skoodge stared down at the angry writing scribbled across the page a bit stunned at the words. He stared at Liz as she tugged on her braid and muttered angrily to herself. When she felt him watching she turned her angry glare towards him, except she wasn't mad at him she was mad _for_ him. She opened her mouth, but side-glanced at the teacher and snatched her notepad back to scribble on it.

_Why aren't you pissed? They are your leaders right?_

**Yes. My Tallest. They rule all Irkens, whatever they say is law.**

_Screw that! You should be angry at them._

**I can't. My PAK is programmed to be loyal. **

_Can you hack it?_

Skoodge stared at the notebook. Then up at Liz. Then back down at the notebook. Slowly he wrote a reply.

**I don't know.**

_Well, that's something to think about. Also, what's a PAK?_

Skoodge pointed to the small metal pod on his back.

**It stores all my knowledge, it's a defense system, and I need it to survive. **

_Then maybe hacking into isn't such a great idea if, you know, it could kill you. _

Liz gave Skoodge an apologetic and sympathetic shrug, her brows furrowed in worry. The teacher choose that moment to turn around and Liz had to flip her notebook page to make it look like she was paying attention. The teacher gazed out over the students and pointed, "you, you, you, and you, come solve the problems on the board."

Liz groaned, one of the 'you's had been directed at her. She wasn't terrible at common math, as she needed some basic stuff for baking and in music counting and timing was important, but this was calculus and it was stupid and pointless and confusing. Grabbing her calculator Liz went to the front with the other chosen students. She went to grab a dry erase marker from the tray but was distracted by the loud clatter next to her. Liz looked and noticed she had dropped her calculator.

Funny, she didn't feel herself drop it. Looking to her hand she saw it was shaking horribly. "Shit," she swore as a shiver passed along her spine and she lost all control as the violent tremors started. Unfortunately, she had been standing right behind the teacher's desk and fell smacking her skull on the back of his chair effectively knocking herself out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello! I want to apologize for any spelling or grammar errors in previous chapters and probably in this one too. I _swear _I do proof-read and edit my chapters multiple times, but no matter what there always seems to be little things that sneak by me. And I hate them so much :| nothing throws off the flow of a story like an error. SO when I upload new chapters I also go back and fix the previous ones, as my sister is kind enough to PM me with my horrible mistakes. :P So ****apologies to those who might have noticed, and if you haven't noticed then keep on thinking that I am good at editing. ;) And as usual thanks for reading and comment to tell me what you think and I'll answer any questions! **

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><p>Liz opened her eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling. Instantly panic gripped her heart. She forgot how to breathe. How long? How long had she been asleep this time?<p>

"Oh, you're awake," a cheerful voice said next to her and Liz turned her head, which caused an intense amount of pain. Liz hissed and clutched at the head. "Here take these, they'll help the headache," the woman said holding out some pills.

"How long was I out?" Liz asked dreading the answer though her surroundings didn't look like a lab, medical but not lab-like. She took the pills and downed them with the water cup next to her. The water burned going down and Liz chocked. Unfiltered water.

"Not too long," the nurse replied and Liz gave a grateful sigh. "You had a bad fall and hit your head. Third period is almost over. The bell for lunch should ring soon. If you feel better you can go and tonight don't sleep alone, have someone check in periodically."

"Yep, okay," Liz said and slowly stood. Her legs supported her weight and her head didn't explode. Progress. "How'd I get here?"

"The tall green kid carried you here," the nurse said then waved cheerfully as Liz left.

Liz would have to thank Skoodge later. Third period was almost over which meant she had missed history again, fate just didn't want her to go apparently. Her head still slightly buzzing Liz dragged her backpack along the floor, Skoodge had been nice enough to bring that to the nurse's office as well. The stairs leading to the roof were empty and Liz snuck out to the top without a problem. As she shut the door behind her the bell rang and she was very thankful that she hadn't been in the hall where it was louder as her head screamed in pain at the screeching alarm. She sat and squeezed her eyes shut and held her head trying to block out the sound and even after it ended Liz held onto her head until the pain ebbed.

A few moments later a high-pitched squeal and a crash made Liz jerk her head up. With the new wave of pain Liz groaned and rolled onto the ground clutching her head.

After a questioning squeak Liz cracked an eye-lid open. The small moose filled her vision and with a smile Liz reached out to pet the floating creature. "Nyah!" He said in pleasure and rolled over in the air so she could scratch his belly. "Nyah~" he said contently as his tongue lolled out. Behind the moose GIR sat down with a smile and his own tongue hanging out.

"Hey, guys," Liz greeted softly and slowly sat up. The little moose made a disapproving squealing sound when she stopped her attention on his belly so Liz plucked him out of the air and planted him in her lap. She began scratching him behind his little antlers and he closed his eyes in contentment. "No loud noises okay?" Liz told the two. "My head really hurts."

"Awww," GIR said sadly. "Yous no makin' songs?"

"No, I can still sing," Liz assured the little robot. "But they will have to be soft songs today and I won't be dancing."

"I can dance!" GIR screamed and jumped up and began dancing.

Liz winced, "Not so loud, GIR," she said but began to sing anyway.

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><p>After saying good-bye to Liz, Dib reluctantly made his way to his first class. He didn't like English that much. He cared more about what a particular green student was writing in his notebook than what some dead or ignorant author had written. But today Dib was even more reluctant to go to class thanks to Liz's probing questions and his own vague dreams. <em>Ugh, probing.<em> Dib groaned at his now hormone-driven thoughts. He did _not _want to think about probing of any kind, mental or physical. But at that thought he felt his face flush both out of embarrassment and anger at himself for letting his thoughts to continue to wander in that direction.

Groaning Dib entered the classroom and headed straight for his seat along by window at the front of the room, however in order to get there he had to walk right past Zim.

Zim was in his seat, his long legs bent under the desk and a purple notebook open in front of him which he was actively drawing in. Normally Dib would try to sneak a look in it, but today he just wanted to avoid Zim as much as possible until these stupid hormonal thoughts left his brain.

Taking his seat without so much as a glance at Zim, Dib set his eyes straight ahead and waited for the teacher. However he soon felt Zim watching him. Years of stalking each other had left them sensitive to each other's gaze. Dib flushed again. He was not _that _kind of sensitive to Zim. He was just aware of Zim, not in _that _way, but as an enemy should be. _Right, enemies._ Dib thought. _We've been w_a_tching, studying each other for years. Learning each others' habits, behaviors, sensitive spots—no, I mean, weak spots_. _No, weaknesses! _Dib groaned and smacked his head down on his desk. He hated his brain.

Zim arrived to class early. He always made sure to come to skool before the other worm-babies so they could all see him and know he was normal by attending their stupid training academy full of its stupid learning stupidness. The only productive part of his day was the time he had to plot. He surpassed all the humans here in all knowledge and what subjects he didn't know were ones an invader didn't need like this stupid English class.

Bored, Zim began to draw out the schematics for his next super weapon that would fire flaming shoes, allowing him to finally crush all humanity with their own feet. It was brilliant and genius and full of irony, smelly, smelly irony. Dib walked in and Zim couldn't help but grin, knowing that the human would try to be sneaky about seeing Zim's amazing plans.

However, Dib didn't even glance towards Zim and went right to his seat his face stuck forward. At first Zim thought that something was wrong with his neck meats, but even his eyes did not look his way. Zim was amazing so of course the Dib should want to look at Zim's amazingness and amazing plans all the time. Staring at the human for some sign of trickery, for this was not how the Dib-human acted, Zim watched as the human's face turned red many times then abruptly Dib slammed his head on his desk as he groaned. Zim squinted one eye as he studied the human. Was he experiencing pain? Was he sick? Had he allowed himself to be beaten by other filthy humans again?

Zim always found that highly annoying. Dib was his enemy, his rival, and he should feel honored for Zim to recognize him as such because not many could match Zim in fighting skills and wits. The human let himself be bested by the other smelly worm-babies, which was just disgraceful. However, Zim would not stoop to helping his enemy when he knew him to be fully capable of winning on his own. Hopefully the Dib would learn how to act from the Liz-human and fight back.

The Liz-human. Now that was an odd human. She was a relative of Dib and his ally, but she did not seem to want the same things as the Dib-stink. Her motives were unclear and that made her a possibly dangerous liability. Zim did not know what to expect from her or if she was working with his enemy in making a plan to make Zim lower his guard so they could catch him.

Narrowing his eyes Zim glared at his human enemy. He would not be fooled and he would be ready for anything that the two humans would try to do. Especially Dib, he couldn't confuse Zim with his weird behavior. Zim would get to the bottom of Dib's odd behavior and he would stop any plans the Dib had. After he stopped the human's plans he would be free to make his Stomp-Out gun.

When the bell rang Zim followed his enemy out of class. He knew Dib was aware of being followed as Zim hadn't tried to hide it. Finally the human stopped at his locker and switching out his books he slammed it shut and glared at Zim.

"What do you want, Zim?" he said.

"Zim wants many things," Zim said slamming his hands on Dib's locker on either side of his head, blocking the human from walking past. The human's face turned red and Zim's antennas picked up a particular scent coming from the human, it was subtle and couldn't be detected through the sensitive skin where his nose might have been if he were human. The scent coming from Dib was chemical and his antennae were there for detecting such subtle changes.

He recognized the scent, as he had picked it up numerous times in this stinking building but he could never detect exactly what it meant. Usually, the scent was completely repulsive but Zim was surprised to find that coming from Dib the scent was not entirely horrible.

"What is this?" Zim demanded and he wished he could take off his itchy wig and wiggle his antennae around in the air to better collect the scent and analyze it further.

"What's what, Zim?" Dib scowled and ducked out from Zim's arms.

"Do not walk away from Zim!" Zim declared when he began to back away. Zim stepped forward to close the distance but Dib retreated once again. "What dirty tricks are you planning Dib-filth? What dirty thoughts do you have about Zim?" Zim asked not knowing the double meaning his words had.

"N-nothing!" Dib squeaked, his face and ears turning red. Zim narrowed his eyes and Dib coughed. "I'm not planning anything, Zim, but I know you are!"

"Of course Zim is planning an amazing plan. I AM ZIM!" Zim raised both fists in the air, a few straggling students glanced their way before entering their respective classrooms. The bell rang but neither of the teens made a move. "Zim knows you are plotting with the Liz-human."

"Liz?" the teen repeated surprised. "She has nothing to do with this, Zim. This is our fight. I'm going to defeat you. I'm going to capture you."

"Yes, yes," Zim waved his hand dismissively. "You want to dissect Zim."

"Well, yeah, but..." the Dib said frowning and cast his eyes downward in thought.

"Dib-stink?" Zim shifted weary of his hesitation, did the Dib-enemy have a more horrible plan he wanted to use on Zim?

"Not today, Zim," the Dib said and shook his head. "I have some...stuff to think about," he said then turned and entered the classroom.

Zim stared at the human still on the defensive, this could all be a horrible plan to catch Zim off-guard. Peeking in the window he saw Dib go to his seat and sit down, staring out the window. Sensing no more danger Zim went to open the door when he felt a hand grab his arm.

"Hall pass?" a teacher asked with a smile.

"Er..." Zim began.

"Well, then young man, you are coming with me," the teacher said cheerfully dragging Zim along the hall. "In you go," he shoved Zim into the opening in the wall that dropped him down into the underground classrooms. Landing hard on the concrete floor Zim looked up at the underground students and stood, slowly extending his PAK legs as the other students crawled closer. Their all white eyes blinking and their mouths drooling as they sniffed the air and smelled the newcomer. It was going to be a long time until the end of the skool day.

Dib didn't remember much of the next two classes. His mind kept thinking about Zim. What did he want with Zim? He wanted fame, sure who wouldn't? But Liz raised a good question: then what? Sure he had other paranormal things to investigate, but most of his time was spent foiling Zim's plans. What _would_ he do with all his free time if he captured Zim and stopped him forever? What about the armada? Skoodge?

Blinking Dib straightened. Skoodge. He never really focused on him, but he was an alien too, though he didn't have any interest in destroying the world. Skoodge was like Zim's live-in butler/maid, and if he helped Zim in any of his plans it was probably at Zim's threat. Would Dib be able to dissect Skoodge? He thought about it and it left a sour taste in his mouth. Skoodge wasn't a threat and dissecting him seemed cruel. Could he turn Skoodge in knowing that the government might do horrible experiments on him? Or would Dib turn Zim in to let someone else have all the glory? No. No. No. He would never want to just had over the aliens after five long years.

Did he really want to dissect Zim at all? As a boy dissecting Zim seemed like the most obvious thing to do, but by now Dib had dissected many different animals in his advance advanced biology class, and while it was interesting it did get boring. The novelty of Zim's organs might be cool, but then what? It would be short lived and it wasn't like Dib was into biology, he didn't want to use science to analyze his organs. Dib wanted to discover things that had no answers, not be stuck elbow deep in guts and blood every day.

Exploring space, discovering other life forms and planets and their mysteries, now that would be the life. A new thought occurred to Dib. Was he jealous of Zim? Zim had vast knowledge of space, he had met numerous other races, been to distant planets. Sure Dib had met a few other species too, but he hadn't left the solar system. His thoughts drifted to the one human whom he knew was out in space; Dr. Dwicky. Intense rage filled Dib. He _hated _that man. Not only had he taken all his proof and lied and abandoned Dib, but he was living the life Dib wanted!

Why had it been Zim that came to Earth? Why couldn't the first alien Dib met been one that was friendly? Dib sighed. He couldn't change the past, so what did he want in the future? What if Zim stopped trying to take over the world?

Dib froze in his thoughts. There was no way that would happen. Zim was loyal to his mission, even after five years, which was a long time to wait. Were his leaders really that patient? And what would happen to Earth if they did eventually come? Were they on their way now and Zim was merely buying time? Dib's paranoid brain began taking over and he was so absorbed in his thoughts of an army of aliens suddenly taking over that when the bell rang for lunch he leapt up out of his seat thinking it was an alarm bell. When no one reacted, Dib coughed, embarrassed, and went to the cafeteria. He sat at his usual table with Gaz and looked up to notice that the Irkens weren't here yet. Dib was about to mention this to Gaz when he felt someone approach from behind. Spinning around Dib was surprised to see Skoodge.

Frowning, and looking almost worried he approached their table. "Dib-human, have you seen Liz-human? Why is she not here?"

"Liz? She has counseling during lunch," Dib answered. "Why are you looking for her?" he asked suspicious.

"She started to shake in class and hit her head on a chair, knocking her out. I brought her to the nurse but when I went to check on her she was no longer there. I know human brains are delicate and hitting the head can cause damage," Skoodge said.

Dib frowned in concern hearing that she hit her head. "She probably went to her counseling meeting, if they let her leave the nurse's office she should be okay. You brought her there? Why?" Dib asked.

Skoodge looked at his booted feet. Not quite sure himself. When Liz dropped he jumped out of his seat to rush to her side. The teacher and the other students just watched as her body shook even though she was knocked unconscious. The teacher said that it was normal, that she was prone to shaking fits, but that she should be brought to the nurse to sleep instead of the floor. Skoodge didn't wait for anyone else to come forward he simply scooped the human up in his arms and left the classroom. The idea of one of the other humans carrying her and maybe dropping her was horrible to him. He told the nurse what happened but she refused to let him stay and sent him back. He checked in on her after math and she was still unconscious but when he went back a second time after the bell rang for lunch the nurse said she left.

He wanted to know that she hadn't fallen someplace else, that she was well. He didn't know why but when he was near her his antennae would tingle and his squeedlyspooch would get tense, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. However, it was unpleasant not knowing where the human was. She talked to him in class and not just because she had to and she smiled at him.

"She is nice to me," Skoodge admitted. "No one has been nice to me."

"Oh," Dib said feeling guilty about thinking of dissecting Skoodge, and decided he would never do that to the taller alien. "She has biology with Zim after lunch, I'll check on her then, after her counseling is over," Dib said and looked around. "Hm, I haven't seen Zim since second period."

"He was sent to the underground classroom," Skoodge said having been informed by Zim through their communicators in their PAKs. He was supposed to help Zim if things got out of hand with the underground students, but he didn't need help yet.

"HA!" Dib laughed. "Serves him right," he went back to his lunch chuckling at Zim's misfortune.

Skoodge left Dib's table, but didn't go to sit at his. He wanted to find Liz and see for himself that she was well. He made his way over to the counseling office and knocked on the door. The young and petite counselor Ms. Joye opened the door.

"Hello! You have problems to talk about?" she asked hopefully.

"No, I am here to see if Liz-human is doing well," Skoodge said.

"Oh," she said disappointed and with a sigh sat at her desk. Skoodge looked around the room and found it empty. "Well, I would never disclose which students I am seeing, if I were seeing any students that is," she said bitterly. "Unless you have horrible issues you need to talk about?" she brightened up.

"Er, no, I am a normal human," Skoodge said. "Bye," he quickly closed the door. He had a hunch that if he stayed longer she would make him talk to her. The counselor seemed desperate for students and said she was seeing no one, so that meant that either Dib-human lied to him or Liz-human lied to Dib-human. Either way Skoodge decided not to bring it up with the Dib-human until he spoke to her first.

He spent the rest of lunch looking but couldn't find her. He had begun to worry that she had dropped down into the lower levels of the skool when the bell rang and he went to find Dib-human to tell him of her disappearance. However, when he turned the corner he saw the two talking outside of the biology room.

"I had a headache earlier, but it's much better now," she was telling Dib-human. "The nurse basically said to follow standard concussion procedure. I'll set my alarm tonight to wake me up a few times just to be sure, but I feel fine, really."

"Are you sure?" Dib-human pressed. "I can always scan you in my dad's lab and see what I can find."

"No!" she said a little forcefully, but then smiled to cover it. "No, thank you. I'll be fine. I'll see you after class," she said and entered her room.

Skoodge felt much better knowing that she was awake and up, but he was still curious as to where she had been all lunch, but was unsure if he should ask her or not. The last thing he wanted was to make her mad like Zim made the Dib-human mad. He didn't want to fight like they did; he could fight, he just didn't like to anymore. Ever since the Tallest sent him here he had no desire to fight anything or anyone. Why bother when his efforts would not be looked at? And he didn't have Zim's self-confidence to keep on going even in the face of failure. So Skoodge made up his mind to not say anything about the counseling and instead ask how she was feeling and where she had gone. He would just have to be careful about how he asked.

After class Skoodge quickly made his way to the art classroom to wait for her. He would not be able to question her if she choose to sit at a place that was not next to him. When she saw him outside the class her lips curled into a small smile.

"Waiting for me?" she asked.

"Yes," Skoodge answered and she looked surprised at his answer.

"Oh," her smile came back in full. Skoodge's squeedlyspooch did that thing again where it felt like it was full of Earth's fluttering insects. He put his hand over it and hoped that he hadn't contracted some Earth parasite. He would have the computer scan him when he got home just in case.

"We should enter," he said hoping that movement would help his fluttering organ.

"Sure thing," she said and patted his upper arm. At the contact his squeedlyspooch lurched up like it wanted to escape from his mouth and he made a small strangled sound. "Skoodge? You okay?"

"Yes, Liz-human, we should enter class," Skoodge said suddenly feeling the need to move inside among all the other humans and not be alone in the hall, but she stepped in front of him blockading him from the door and placed her palm on his chest stopping him. His poor confused insides twisted around at the contact and he could feel his blood-candies flooding up to his face.

"Liz," she said sternly. "I thought I told you to call me Liz?" her serious face faltered for a moment when she peered up at him. Her lips tweaked and she removed her hand from his chest allowing his organs to remember how they were supposed to function. "No 'human' after. I don't call you Skoodge-alien."

"I am a normal human worm," Skoodge muttered automatically having been trained to do so by Zim. She just raised an eyebrow at him and waited. "Liz," he finally said and wondered how the rest of his body could function when he felt all his blood-candies rise up to his face.

"Good," she said smiling widely causing Skoodge to put a hand back to his twisting insides. He would definitely have the computer scan him.

When they entered the class the only two easels left were thankfully right next to each other. Once seated the teacher began to address the class as a whole. "Today we will be doing portraits. Pick a partner and then face each other, you will be creating an image of the person you face. You are free to use whatever materials you want," Ms. Smith told them. Skoodge choose a piece of black lead as he was used to drawing out schematics and plans and did not have much talent for color. Liz picked up a box labeled 'oil pastels' and upon inspecting the contents smiled, bringing the box back with her. They clipped down their thick paper and arranged themselves so they could clearly see each other.

Skoodge soon became frustrated because while he was very good at drawing he was used to drawing things that didn't move, like schematics. Liz kept making different faces and moving around as she tried to draw him. Skoodge watched her as she picked up the blue then yellow then purple. She would add a bit from one color then pick up another. He frowned at her, she was using all the colors.

Towards the end of class the teacher began making her rounds commenting on each student's work. She gave encouraging words to most of the students though from what Skoodge could see all their pictures looked the same and the quality was horrible. Ms. Smith came to look at his picture which consisted of multiple half-finished sketches of Liz's face making different expressions.

"Oh," she said trying to sound positive. "Well, you made a good effort."

Skoodge frowned. The other humans' work was horrible in quality yet the teacher gave them such supportive words. Ms. Smith then walked over to Liz's work.

She frowned. "Liz, we were supposed to be drawing portraits today."

"I took some artistic liberties," Liz said with a smile.

"Well, I will have no liberties taken in my class," Ms. Smith sniffed. "You will stay after until you complete the assignment. I expect a proper art piece on my desk before you leave for the weekend.

Liz rolled her eyes and continued working while the other kids began picking up. "Sorry, Skoodge, do you mind staying a bit while I finish?"

"I can stay," Skoodge said curious to see what she was working on. The other students left and the teacher told Liz again that she needed to complete the assignment before she could leave, then went to sit behind her desk behind Skoodge.

"Skoodge," Liz whispered. "Can you take off your contacts for me?"

"Um," Skoodge said not wanting to be exposed.

"Please? I promise nothing bad will happen, this isn't a trick. Trust me?" she asked him pleadingly.

Skoodge stared into her honey eyes and felt compelled to do it to make her happy. Quickly glancing around and making sure the teacher couldn't see him he removed his contacts and blinked a few times, his eyes relieved to be in the open air.

"Wow," Lizzy breathed and leaned closer peering into his ruby eyes. Skoodge shifted uncomfortable under her blatant stare. He felt his blood-candies rise to his face again. "You have really cool eyes," she said causing Skoodge to finally look away, he had never been told that before. She immediately began drawing again. A little bit later she leaned back and smiled as she inspected her work. "Not bad if I do say so myself," she said carefully removing her picture and replacing the paper to do a quick doddle with a green pastel.

Rolling up the real picture she brought over the quick drawing that looked the same as the other students' work to the teacher while Skoodge put his contacts back in.

Ms. Smith smiled, "see, you can do it if you try."

"Yep," Liz said and she and Skoodge left the room. "Here," she said handing the rolled up drawing to him.

Curious, Skoodge opened up the roll to look at the drawing and stared wide-eyed at it. She drew him from the shoulders up without his disguise on, using every color to show depth and shadow. He had purples and blues, yellows and oranges accenting the green of his skin which looked soft and real. His red eyes reflected every color and Skoodge felt like he was staring at another being. This picture of himself felt vibrant, proud and alive.

"From the look on your face, can I assume that you like it?" she asked him sounding amused. Skoodge could only nod in reply and held her drawing back out to her, but she shook her head and held up her hands refusing to take it. "Keep it, it's yours. Dib has enough pictures of you guys to fill a museum ten times over, and something tells me you don't take pictures of yourself much. Besides, it's evidence, you should probably confiscate it from me," she said winking at him.

"Yes, I should," Skoodge smiled at the drawing. No one had ever given him anything like this before. He opened his PAK and a tentacle came out to grab the drawing, roll it up and store it safely away.

"Woah," Liz said stepping around so she could see his back. "That's pretty handy, ha! Handy, 'cause it's like a hand," she grinned at her own wording. "What else does it do?"

"It-"

"Skoodge!" he was cut off by Zim as he came sprinting down the hall flailing his arms as he ran. His pink stripped uniform was torn and his wig askew. "Stop telling the filthy human all our secrets. She's using her manipulating talky-talk to lure you into telling her all our weaknesses, which we don't have," he quickly added. "We are superior beings!"

Skoodge stared wide-eyed at Liz. He so easily removed his contacts in front of her and was about to tell her all about his PAK's functions. Was she using some Earth manipulation on him? Was that why he felt so strange?

"Oh, come off it, Zim," Liz planted her hand on her hip. "I'm just curious, you two are the first aliens I've met. Can't I be a little interested in you guys? Besides, its not like the others here are good for conversation," she said jerking her thumb at one of the humans down the hall who grinned stupidly as he ate a poop candy bar with the wrapper still on. "It's Dib's thing to expose you, not me."

"Liz!" Dib yelled coming down the opposite end of the hall Zim had come from. Once he reached them he stepped in front of her protectively. "What are you trying to do Zim? Are you okay? I've been looking for you," Dib said to her.

"Zim is innocent! It was the Liz-worm that was trying to manipulate information out of poor-naive Skoodge."

"I'm fine, Dib," Liz said. "Skoodge was helping me finish my art class project. And for the last time, Zim, I wasn't trying to squeeze information from Skoodge. Right?" Liz turned to him for confirmation.

Skoodge took a step back, "Er," he said not knowing what to say. Maybe the female human was just curious, or maybe she was using some trick to get information from him. She was related to the Dib-human and he had been feeling funny, but only when he was around her or when she looked at him. Maybe human females had strange mind powers the males did not, he hadn't had much human interaction. "I don't know," Skoodge finally answered not looking at her.

"Seriously?" she said. "Skoodge, come on."

"No!" Zim stepped in front of the confused Skoodge. "Back off human-spy!"

"Fine," Liz said her voice sounding angry, but Skoodge's antenna were picking up on a subtle emotion and he glanced her way. "If that's the way you feel then fine, you'd better take this too," she said opening her backpack and taking out her notebook. "After all I was recording our conversations and I might use the knowledge to my advantage so you'd better take it before I can show it to the government or whatever," she snapped.

"Victory!" Zim said snatching the notebook and holding it above his head. "Victory for Zim!" he said jumping away from them and running down the hall. "Come, Skoodge!" Zim called behind him.

At the hurt look behind the anger Skoodge paused before running after Zim. He didn't understand why she was upset if she had been trying to gain information from him and making his body act strangely. "Liz?" he asked tentatively.

"What do you want, alien?" she said with a bite of anger to her words.

Skoodge felt his squeedlyspooch sink lower into his body with an unfamiliar squeezing sensation. If he hadn't been wearing his wig his antennae would be low and flat on his head. He didn't know why but he felt very bad, he felt worse than when the Tallest jettisoned him from a cannon. Not knowing what do to and because looking at her face made his insides hurt more Skoodge quickly left and followed after Zim.

Skoodge quickly caught up to the other Irken whom was marching down the sidewalk holding the notebook behind his back. About half way back to the base Zim had forgotten about the notebook as he began to rant about Dib. He waved the notebook around in his hand as he complained. Skoodge would usually give Zim his full attention, but instead he watched Zim wave the notebook around. Skoodge decided he would have himself scanned the moment he got back to the base.

Zim stomped up the path to the base and the door opened for him. "Ugh! And his legs are stooopid. Stooopidly-long longy legs, if I chopped them off then Dib would not be so, so," Zim waved his hand above his head to indicate Dib's height. "Then ZIM would be above and the Dib-short would have to look up at Zim's AMAZINGNESS! Oh the amazement he would have," Zim said chucking the notebook across the living room. "Computer! TO THE LAB!" he said stepping into the toilet in the kitchen.

Skoodge rushed over and picked up the notebook off the floor, holding it to his chest he activated the elevator in the floor to bring him down to the med lab. He had the computer make the room when he realized how often Zim became injured. Sometimes it was because of the Dib-human and their fights, other times it was from Zim's failed experiments or plans gone wrong, but mostly it was due to GIR being destructive and accident prone.

Placing the notebook on the medical bed Skoodge stepped into the scanning panel. "Computer, run a full diagnostic scan," Skoodge said then paused and added. "And PAK scan."

"**Fine**_," _the computer droned on in a bored voice and did as Skoodge asked lowering a metal tentacle from the ceiling and scanning Skoodge with a red beam, another tentacle came down and plugged into the port in his PAK. He jumped at the connection, it felt oddly intrusive and uncomfortable as a spark of electricity shot through his system.

After the tentacle detached Skoodge went over to the display monitors to review the data. The body scan revealed nothing, well nothing abnormal. There was a slight rise in his body's toxin levels from the pollution found in everything on Earth, but besides that no problems with his squeedlyspooch.

Frowning, Skoodge read the data twice not believing it, there had to be a physical aliment. If not, maybe something in his PAK? Skoodge brought up the PAK data and his frown stayed stuck to his face. There was nothing _wrong_ with his PAK, but there was something different. His emotional filter was filtering at 50%, where as before it was 70%. Also the Taller Chemical his PAK secreted into his system due to his increase in height had increased by 12%.

Zim had discovered the existence of the Taller Chemical after tinkering around in his own PAK, something Skoodge was never brave enough to do. It was a chemical the PAK was programed to release into an Irken if they reached past a certain height. It was unknown what effect the chemical had on their bodies as it had not made them react or feel any differently, but the fact that only taller Irkens had the chemical in their bodies was enough to interest Zim.

When Zim wasn't making a doomsday device or busy chasing the Dib-human—which was to say very rarely—he would do research on this unknown chemical. Skoodge wasn't as smart as Zim when it came to inventions or lab work, he was much better at physical and hands-on tasks, which was what helped him take over Blorch, so he left the research to Zim. He made a note in Zim's file of the chemical about the increase in his system, but besides that there was nothing more he could do.

So it seemed that Liz had not used any Earth manipulation to make his squeedlyspooch act the way it did. Maybe the sensations were due to the combined results of his decrease in filtered emotions and the increase in the Taller Chemical. Picking up the notebook Skoodge left the med lab. He would return the notebook Monday at skool. He liked being with the female human. Knowing she was not the one affecting him made him feel much better about interacting with her. He would try to negotiate peace between them once more to continue the notebook conversation and the walking to class.

It was then that Skoodge remembered the drawing stored away in his PAK. Entering his personal chamber Skoodge took out the paper and unrolled it to study the drawing of himself. The colors were most pleasing to him. His antennae stood up straight mimicking the antennae in the drawing, even in the black stocks she had infused color to mimick how light might fall on them. The antennae were not completely accurate as the shape was slightly different, but only an Irken would notice.

"**Did you create that?**_" _the computer asked startling Skoodge. Usually it didn't talk unless spoken to.

"No, a human related the the Dib-human did," Skoodge answered and looked around on his wall for a place to put the drawing.

"**The scary one?**" the computer asked sounding doubtful.

"No, the Liz did. She is a clutch-mate to one of the Dib-human's descendants and was put into suspended sleep by the humans three hundred years ago," Skoodge explained smoothing the image onto the wall next to his small oval bed. He didn't sleep much, only napped every once in a while when bored. "Attach this here," he told the computer and small little latches came out from the wall to hold the corners of the image in place.

"**It is well done,**_" _the computer said approvingly, surprising Skoodge as he did not think the computer had opinions about liking things. However, this gave Skoodge an idea and he picked up the notebook from his bed and flipped to the page he was looking for.

"Computer, scan this for any information on this forgotten Earth language," he said and a red beam scanned the page.

"**Hmm**_,_" the computer said sounding surprised and Skoodge's antennae twitched in curiosity at the sound.

"Can you read it?" Skoodge asked hopefully.

"**Yes**_." _

When there wasn't an answer given Skoodge asked, "What does it mean?"

"**Unknown.**_"_

Skoodge's antennae wilted. "But you said you could read it."

"**I can,**_" _the computer said annoyed.

"Then what does it say?" Skoodge said getting frustrated himself.

"**There is no translation into verbal language.**"

_"_What kind of language is it then?"

"**A language meant to express emotions through sound**_."_

_"_What emotion is is expressing?" Skoodge asked.

"**Unable to analyze**_."_

_"_What does the language sound like?"

"**I don't know,**_" _the computer said and it almost sounded grumpy.

Skoodge stared down at the language of lines and dots. Now he really wanted to reestablish their alliance at skool. He wanted to know what this language sounded like, what it meant, why she wrote it and where she learned such an evasive language.

Monday. He would make peace Monday.

"Computer," Skoodge said still staring down. "Pull up all information on peace-making rituals among humans."

"**Sure**_," _it said disinterested once more and absentmindedly did as Skoodge asked displaying the information on his personal screen.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! Thank you to everyone who commented, followed and favorited. I'm glad to hear that people like Liz. :) I'm looking forward to everyone's reactions as I slowly explain more about the world, Liz's history (and thus Dib's ancestry), and Irken physiology in the story. But for now some Liz and Dib bonding time. **

* * *

><p>Dib titled his head and squinted one scrutinizing eye at Liz as she watched the Irkens leave ."What was that all about?" he asked.<p>

Liz sighed sadly, but gave him a small smile, "It's hard making friends."

Dib chuckled. "Tell me about it, I've been trying for as long as I can remember, but the people here don't want to see the truth. They all think I'm crazy."

"I have no interest in being friends with the people here," Liz said. "And the one I was trying to be friends with doesn't trust me."

"Skoodge?" Dib asked looking back to where the aliens had fled. "You want to be friends with him? But he works for Zim and his leaders want to take over the Earth!"

"Their leaders are assholes," Liz huffed. "Did you know that they gave someone else all the credit for his hard work just because he was short?"

"No," Dib said. "That's awful."

"Right?! And their PAKs program them to be obedient. A successful leader rules through respect, affection and fear, not some manually enforced data," she said with a scowl.

"So their PAKs force them to obedient and be loyal?" Dib said thoughtfully.

"Sad right?" Liz yanked on her braids. "Maybe I was a little harsh. I can understand how it is suddenly finding yourself surrounded by strangers and not knowing anything. I'm sure he has trust issues already, I can't blame him for that. I just..." she trailed off. "It makes me sad. I thought we were getting along pretty well."

Not knowing what to do to comfort her, Dib shifted his weight from foot to foot. He wasn't used to comforting anybody as no one had done such a thing for himself, but he didn't like seeing Liz so sad. "You've only known him for two days, maybe it takes more time?" he offered.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. I'll try talking to him again on Monday," Liz sighed and mentally shook herself to put it behind her. "So, what were your plans for today?"

"Well," Dib began a bit nervous. "There is this one place I found when I was chasing Zim down some random street. It looked pretty interesting but I couldn't gather the courage to go in alone."

"What kind of place is it?" Liz asked curiosity in her voice.

"A coffee shop," Dib said.

"Why would you be nervous to go in a coffee shop?"

"It's better to show you than to explain," Dib said.

"Well, then, lead the way," Liz said gesturing towards the front of the skool. They got in Dib's car and he took them into town. As he drove he told Liz about the fight that led him to the place. Zim had stolen his camera making Dib chase him through the city to get it back. Normally, he wouldn't have paid any attention to his surroundings but this place stuck out.

They found street parking and Dib paid the meter then went to stand next to Liz as she stared at the building, she had a hand clapped over her mouth and her eyes were wet. Dib glanced between the place and her.

The little coffee shop was called "Devil's Brew" and the logo was a coffee cup with a grinning evil looking ghost coming from the coffee's steam. But despite the shop's dark name it was painted in bright pink letters and it looked like a cafe for girls. It was the contrast between the evil name and the bright pink of the place that caught his eye, not to mention the assortment of sweets displayed in the window. Still this didn't explain Liz's shocked and emotional reaction.

"Um, Liz? We can go some place else if you want," he said carefully.

"No," she whispered her voice cracking. "I want to go in," she mumbled through her hand.

"Okay," Dib said and keeping his eye on her opened the door so they could enter. As soon as they entered they were assaulted with a cloud of powder. Dib immediately started sneezing.

"BEGONE SPIRITS! LEAVE THIS WORLD AND ASCEND!" A little old lady screeched as she threw the powder stuff at them.

"We're not...spirits!" Dib said inbetween his sneezes.

"Oh?" the old lady adjusted her glasses as she peered at them. "Hmm. That does seem to be the case. My apologies."

"What made you think we were ghosts?" Dib wanted to know finally getting his sneezes under control. Next to him Liz took in the bright and cheery surrounds as if the attempted exorcism hadn't happened.

"Well, I get them sometimes," the little old lady said shuffling away and back around her counter, "mostly just the recent dead, which I don't mind, but it's not good to have the old dead around. You two look just like the pair in one of the old pictures on The Faithful wall."

"The Faithful wall?" Dib repeated in question. In answer she pointed to the back of the shop where there was a small gallery of photos. Dib went over to inspect them and Liz silently followed as if in a trance, worried but still curious Dib looked at the wall but kept Liz in his vision.

Above the wall were some faded letters, clearly painted many times over as different colors could be seen through the chipped paint, they read: Faithful Customers Over 100 Cups Served. The first few rows of pictures were very old, yellow and faded. The next few rows didn't look as bad but looking at the dates the pictures had more years between them, the last picture was taken 15 years ago. Dib looked over the dates again, then turned to the owner.

"According to these pictures this place has been open over three hundred years!" Dib said amazed, then he realized what that meant and turned to look at Liz, who was still staring at the wall as if in a daze.

"Yes, this shop has been in my family for generations," the owner said proudly. "Unfortunately my own ungrateful children have no interest in our history and traditions and went off to work in some fast food restaurant pah!" she scoffed. "Disgusting stuff. But this place is full of history, it was founded by my great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother, she loved devils and the supernatural almost as much as she loved a good cup o' joe. 'Sissy' was her name, they had a nickname for her too-"

"Supernatural Sissy," Liz finished for her, speaking for the first time. "But we shortened it to Super Sis."

"Yes," the owner said peering at Liz over her glasses. "How did you know?"

Liz pointed to the second picture on the wall. "That's me."

Dib studied the faded and yellow picture. Now that he was looking he could tell that it was Liz. She wore a black pin-striped skirt and matching vest and held up a cup proudly grinning at the camera. She looked a little younger too, middle skool aged. But what caught Dib's attention was the teen standing next to her, he looked just like himself! He had a lock of hair standing up and glasses, but his were square. He wore dark jeans and a pin-stripped vest as well, which hung open unbuttoned showing off his dark t-shirt with an atom printed on the front. He too was holding up a cup and smiling triumphantly. The brother sister pair held hands and lifted them up in the air together. Now he understood why the old lady thought that they were-

"BEGONE SPIRIT!" the owner cried making Dib jump. She took a salt shaker and started throwing salt in Liz's direction. "YOU MUST MOVE ON!"

"I'm not dead," Liz said not taking her eyes of the picture, and not phased at all by the old woman's shouts. "I've been asleep a long time. Cryogenically frozen."

The owner stopped mid throw and lowered her arm, "Is that so?" she said thoughtfully. "I've heard of such a process never met someone who'd done it."

"Not many went through with it," Liz said. "It was new and very expensive, but I imagine that medicine has advanced so it's not so necessary anymore. Also, there's a fifty percent chance that even if you are thawed out you'll just die instantly," Liz said calmly. "Though Dizzy never told me that himself, I overheard him telling one of the members once."

"You mean when you were cured you might have woken up just to die?" Dib asked.

"Yeah," Liz said. She reached up and gently touched the picture of her brother. "It really has been three hundred years, huh?" She said distantly and withdrew her hand to bring it to her lips. The gesture was so tender that Dib felt his heart squeeze in sympathy. "It feels like it was just three days ago," she said trying to laugh, but tears started to spill over. Realizing she was crying Liz turned her head away and, sniffing, wiped at her eyes.

Dib reached out to her shoulder, but withdrew his hand at the last second, unsure what to do. It just occurred to him that while her brother died a long time ago, to Liz it was like he had just died, along with everyone else she had ever known.

"Liz... I..."

She waved her hand in the air and took a deep breath before turning around. She gave him a small embarrassed smile, "sorry for getting all weepy. I hate crying in front of others. I'm okay now."

"You need a strawberry tart," the owner said convinced that her customers weren't spirits. "And a cup o' joe, made just like they did it so many years ago."

"I'd like that," Liz said. "I'd like that a lot."

"I'll have the same," Dib said.

"Two bitter-sweet specials then," the owner said hopping up on a stool to work the ancient coffee bean grinder. "You two can sit wherever," she gestured to the empty store. Dib and Liz took a seat near the counter so they could watch her make the coffee. "You'll like this dear, we've been making coffee the same way with the same ingredients since the day we opened. Grow most of the stuff myself in my basement greenhouse. No nasty chemicals or pesticides. That stuff they put in and call food these days is just a disgrace."

"Tell me about it," Liz laughed softly. "Even the rain is full of it."

"Tonight you should let me take some samples and I'll see if I can make something that will help you get used to the rain," Dib said thinking of what tests he would need to do.

"That, there, is the problem with people today," the owner pipped in, turning to shake her stirring rod at Dib. "You just want to fix the symptoms and ignore the problem."

"Yeah," Liz nodded. "You should work on making the chemicals disappear from the rain not make me less sensitive to them," she said liking that idea much better.

"That would take a lot of time and research," Dib frowned. "I don't have that kind of time. I need to keep an eye on Zim so he doesn't take over the world."

"Are the two of you running for student council?" the owner asked knowing how teenagers could blow things out of proportion.

"No! He's an evil alien bent on world destruction," Dib threw his hands in the air.

"Well, then," the owner turned back to the coffee, "I wouldn't vote for him."

Dib was about to continue arguing when Liz placed a hand on his arm stopping him, she gave him a 'don't bother' look shaking her head and Dib sighed. Liz was right, what was the point? No one ever believed him, well except for Liz, but _she_ thought that the reason he chased Zim was because he was attracted to the green male. Just because Zim had flawless skin ever since the equinox molting, and an exotic bone structure with lean muscles and a proud masculine vibe that Dib was drawn to didn't mean that he...oh god.

"What's the matter, Dib?" Liz asked when Dib suddenly moaned and dropped his head into his hands.

"I think I'm gay," Dib muttered completely depressed.

"Okay, so what's wrong with that?" Liz asked.

"Nothing. Everything," Dib whined and face planted onto the table.

"Well, before you beat yourself up over it, why don't we do a little test to see if you are first?" Liz said logically and Dib turned his head so his cheek rested on the table and he looked up at her, waiting. "Who is the most handsome boy in skool? Who is the most popular?"

"The Letter M has a different girlfriend every month, he became very popular in Hi-Skool," Dib answered.

"Okay, do you think he is an attractive man?" At Dib's pained look Liz quickly added. "As a woman I can look at another woman and tell if they are attractive or not, but that doesn't mean I am attracted to them," she said to make this easier on him.

"Hmm," Dib thought feeling a bit better with her explanation. "I guess?"

"Okay, who is the most popular, prettiest girl in skool?"

"Well, Rita has been known to play the field, but," Dib glanced up at her then away. "I think you look better than she does."

Pleased at the compliment, Liz patted Dib's head. "Thanks Dib, but you just made this awkward for yourself," Liz grinned at him and he grew a little nervous. "So, you can distinguish between aesthetically pleasing body types. Good job. Now, you're in a classroom alone and the Letter M comes in, he sees you and suddenly comes up and says how he's secretly found you attractive and tries to kiss you how do you-"

"Push him," Dib said flatly. "And flee before I can get beat up."

"No butterflies, no heart beats?" Liz asked. "No feelings of excitement?"

"None," Dib said feeling slightly relieved.

"Good, now, what about this," Liz said and stood up so she could lean over Dib's face and get very close to him. "What if I told you," she said in a low flirty whisper, "That I find you extremely attractive."

Dib quickly scooted out from under Liz and sat straight up, "We're related!"

"Very distantly," Liz said. "And what if we aren't? What if I lied just so I could get close to you?" Liz said leaning over the table and pressing her arms together slightly so her cleavage showed just a little more.

"Look, Liz, I like you and you make me nervous but it's mostly because I'm not used to talking to others so openly. I don't... I mean, if that's..." Dib said flustered.

Liz sat back down in her seat. "Calm down, Dib, it was just a test. You think I'm pretty but you aren't attracted to me even if we weren't related, right?" Dib nodded. "What about Rita would you want to kiss her given the chance?" Dib shook his head.

"Okay, final test, close your eyes Dib," Liz instructed and stood up but didn't move until Dib did as he was told. He heard her walk around the table and position herself behind him. "You don't desire the most desirable male or female in skool, so," he heard her clear her throat and she leaned down by his ear, he could tell because he could feel her breath.

"Do you desire, Zim, Dib-human?" Liz said in her best impression of Zim's voice and she added a sexy huskiness for good measure.

Dib's eyes shot open as he felt his face grow bright red. Covering the ear she whispered in Dib stared at Liz wide-eyed surprised at his own reaction. When she had whispered to him a shiver ran through his body and he could almost imagine Zim saying that, hence his red face.

"There's your answer, boy," the owner said leaning on her counter having watched the whole thing in quiet interest. "You're attracted to a specific individual, not gender. And you have such intentions for this 'Zim' lad."

Dib groaned as the truth was put before him. "How am I supposed to act now? I can't stop fighting him, he wants to take over Earth. I hate him too."

"I think it's more accurate to say that you love to hate him," Liz said sitting back down. "I also get the feeling that he likes to fight you too, alien or not, five years is way too long to complete a mission without being replaced. I think there is something else going on with Zim's mission. Skoodge was sent here as an insulting joke, like they were getting rid of a nuisance."

"You think that Zim's mission isn't real?" Dib asked wide-eyed.

"No, I think that it's not as serious as you make it out to be. Maybe he was given the assignment because they didn't care either way, like a crap-shoot job. Earth isn't that amazing, Dib. And I don't see what an advanced alien species would want with humans or with Earth as polluted as it is. What would they want with us?

"Slaves?" Dib ventured.

"Slaves are only worth something if you have a purpose for them," Liz reasoned. "And from what you've told me about Irkens, they have advanced technology to do most of their work for them and they are really strong on their own, what would they need slaves for?"

"Then why is he trying so hard?" Dib asked.

"Why are you trying so hard to save Earth?" Liz countered.

"Earth's my home, of course I'll try to save it!"

"What if you were told to conquer another planet by the world leaders, would you do it?" Liz asked. "To either take over the planet or be labeled a traitor to your government? What if you had no choice and they used mind control to make you obey them even if you didn't want to?"

"That's horrible! I wouldn't want to take over another world, just for the sake of doing it," Dib protested. "Humans wouldn't brainwash or force people to either."

Liz snorted. "Have you read history? What are they teaching now?" Liz mused as she really didn't know having missed all her history classes so far. "Our history is filled with people going to take over another land just because they want to, and we did it all willingly! According to Skoodge their PAKs program loyalty into them, so even if they wanted to stop obeying they can't. Maybe that's why Zim still hasn't taken over Earth after five long years," Liz shrugged. "Maybe he's fighting success with failure."

"But Zim _wants_ to take over the Earth!" Dib protested.

Liz shrugged again. "Maybe he does and he's just bad at it, or you're just good at protecting it. But I would think that if you really hated Zim because he's an alien you would have killed him long ago. In all the alien movies I've seen Earth's hero kills all the aliens pretty quickly. You've had five years, Dib, time to face the facts. You don't want Zim gone. You might even like Zim, and I don't blame you. The kids in skool aren't much for company and who wouldn't want to interact with a visitor from space everyday? It's freaking cool," Liz smiled at him. "And they're pretty easy on the eyes too," she mused.

"Wait," Dib said slowly. "You think he's attractive too?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Liz asked a bit wistful. "Smooth-skinned, lean, strong, beautifully deep eyes, unique, handsome, tall. What isn't there to like?"

"Zim isn't ta—Oh my god! You like Skoodge!" Dib pointed at her.

Liz raised her eyebrow at Dib's reaction. "I can't?"

"He's an alien!"

"So?"

"Well... he's green!" Dib said.

"Good thing that's my favorite color then," Liz retorted leaning back in her chair. "Yeah, I like him, but not with the same intensity you have for Zim. I've only known Skoodge two days, I think he's interesting, I can appreciate his looks, and I enjoy talking to him. I want to be his friend," she frowned suddenly. "If he'll let me. Years of being around a particular human who wanted them dissected and given to the government has probably given him trust issues towards making friends with our species," Liz said dryly.

"Sorry," Dib muttered suddenly feeling guilty.

"Don't sweat it, Dib," Liz waved her hand as if to erase his 'sorry'. "You can't change the past, all you can do is change how you'll act in the future."

"Rightly said," the owner agreed coming over with their coffee and pastries. "Skool politics sure sounds a lot more complicated than when I was your age," she mused setting down a bowl of sugar and some cream. "Help yourself," she said and the two thanked her before she shuffled off to help a mother and daughter that walked in.

Dib loaded up his coffee with sugar and cream, liking his sweet and light. Liz however, kept hers black. "I thought you like sweet stuff?" Dib asked.

"I do," Liz said picking up her tart. "If I'm just having coffee alone I like it sweet, but with sweets I like the juxtaposition of having a bitter drink with it." She bit down into the tart and moaned. "Oh my god, this is divine," Liz held up the tart and spoke up so the owner could hear her. "This is amazing!" The owner beamed at her proudly and the mother daughter pair smiled. Dib took a bit of his own tart and nodded vigorously in agreement.

After devouring their tarts Dib took a swig from his coffee then said,"you can change it."

"Huh?"

"The past," Dib clarified picking up where they left off in their conversation. "You can change it, by replacing objects in the past, my dad made a machine that could do so." Dib frowned as a weird sensation came over him. "And I have a weird feeling that something like that happened to me."

"Oh," Liz said. "Well, I wouldn't recommend changing the past, it creates paradoxes as far as I know. I focus on the future, at least I try too," she said looking back up at the wall. "I just wish I had one good picture of my brother."

"You didn't take one before you were frozen?" Dib asked.

"We did, and I had some keepsakes and personal possessions that Dizzy said he would take care of, but who knows what happened to my stuff after three hundred years."

"Maybe someone at the lab knows, we can ask my dad when he calls next," Dib suggested. Liz nodded and together they sat enjoying the rest of their coffee. Afterward when they went to pay the owner waved at them rejecting their money.

"A gift for the returning faithful customer," she said. "Come back again. My name is Missy, by the by," the old lady said.

"Thanks, Mrs. Missy," Liz said with a genuine smile. "Oh, would you mind if a took a picture of my picture on the wall?"

"Sure, dearie, go ahead," she said waving towards the back of the wall. Liz bounced over and using her new cellphone took a picture. They waved thank you to Mrs. Missy and left the little shop to go back to Dib's car, Liz grinning down at the picture.

"You know," Dib said pulling away from the curb. "I could probably improve the quality of that picture through a program I have on my computer."

"Really?" Liz said perking up. "That would be awesome." Humming happily Liz looked out the window. "Where are we going?" she asked as they were not turning around to head back to the house.

"Grocery shopping?" Dib said raising an eyebrow questioningly, asking if that was okay with her.

"Yes!" Liz pointed forward. "Onward!"

Dib chuckled and drove on to the grocery store. They needed some basic things for the house, like Gaz's cereal and some soda. His dad never went shopping for them anymore, he just gave them money to use. He still had his dad's card which was nice because he didn't have to call and remind him to transfer money over.

In the soda isle Dib picked out the usual ones he bought, thankful that he could get them now when there were still one or two cans left at home, he would be spared Gaz's wrath this time.

"Seriously, Dib?" Liz said as he lifted the box. He raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "Poop Cola? Please tell me you are not buying that."

"It's good," Dib protested placing the box in their cart. "You should try one."

"I will never consume anything that is clearly labeled 'poop'," Liz shifted her weight to one hip and crossed her arms across her chest. "How is this even a thing? How did anyone okay this in the marketing process and how the hell did it become a product that people actually buy? And most importantly, why the hell are _you _buying it? Aren't you supposed to be smart?"

He shrugged then picked up another box, Gaz's favorite flavor. Liz threw her hands up in the air and Dib grinned as she left the isle. He quickly caught up with her as she began to inspect the items on the shelves, picking up some to read the packaging then placing them back on the shelves. Even after going through half the store she had only picked out a few things.

"What are you looking for?" Dib asked pulling the cart up next to her.

She sighed. "Anything that isn't processed five times over. Nothing I've picked up is organic or natural. Even the fruit looks like it's been soaked in chemicals. I never imagined that my biggest problem in the future would be finding eatable food."

"How are you with the water at the house?" Dib asked.

"I can shower in it and drink it but it's not entirely pleasant," Liz confessed.

"I'll try my hand at a purifier when we get back," Dib promised and a thought played around in his head. "I wonder if Zim's reaction to water is because of the chemicals."

"Well, if you successfully make a purifier maybe you can make one for him too as a peace offering," Liz suggested as she read another label.

"I doubt a purifier is going to convince Zim to stop taking over the world, especially after five years," Dib rolled his eyes.

"Five years is a long time, maybe he's gotten tired of it and just needs an excuse," Liz mused putting the product back and picking up another.

Dib laughed darkly, "I doubt that. He takes great pleasure in creating new super weapons and testing them out on me."

"Hm," Liz said half her attention on the shelves around her. "Maybe that's it then."

"What's it?"

"Maybe it isn't the taking over the world part he likes, but the fighting you part," she said leaving Dib silent as he pondered that and followed her around the store.

"Why would he enjoy fighting me?" Dib asked after a long period of silence, making Liz stop to think about what they had been talking about.

"Because fighting is fun, especially with someone who is equally matched to yourself," Liz said finally looking at Dib like that was the most obvious answer. "Don't you enjoy fighting him too?"

"I'm fighting to protect Earth!" Dib protested.

"Uh huh," Liz said not believing him. "And I'm the Easter Bunny. No one does anything for an extended period of time without getting some sort of satisfaction from it, and I don't see too many people congratulating you for your hard work so you don't fight for the recognition," Liz pointed out. She paused a moment, thinking. "Why do you want to protect Earth?"

"What do you mean 'why'? He would destroy it!" Dib exasperated.

"Destroy? Not conquer?"

"It's the same thing."

"No. It isn't," Liz stated. "If complete destruction is his goal, I can understand you wanting to stop him because you wouldn't want to die or have the world destroyed, but if his aim is to conquer..." Liz trailed off. "Dib, you might be the only one who would be able to tell if aliens began ruling the world."

Dib opened his mouth to argue, but couldn't come up with anything intelligent to say. He'd met Zim's leaders once and they didn't seem much more intelligent than the President Man.

"Although," Liz added. "I wouldn't want to be ruled by their leaders either."

Dib stared at her. He did not understand her thinking. "So would or wouldn't you fight to protect Earth?"

"To protect Earth, as it is now? No," she answered honestly. "To stop from being ruled by assholes? Yes. Honestly, Dib, I don't think Zim's leaders are too interested in Earth. If they were they would have either come to take over themselves or sent a replacement. But that doesn't mean I think you should give up fighting. I get the sense that fighting with him is what shaped your feelings for him."

"I don't have _feelings_ for him," Dib whispered harshly not wanting to be overheard. Liz gave him a look. "Admitting that I am...attracted," Dib blushed deeply. "Is not the same as saying that I lo-have feelings towards him," he corrected himself not wanting to say the word.

Liz patted him on the shoulder, "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"It's true!" he protested but Liz dropped the subject by walking down the next isle. Dib grumbled protests as he followed and in a weird retaliation grabbed as many 'Poop' products as he could find adding them to the cart.

It wasn't until they were checking out that Liz took notice of all the products, she gave him a look that said 'really?' and he shrugged it off like he had no idea what was wrong. She mumbled something about about 'boys' under her breath and Dib felt a small surge of victory.

Once they were back home and unloaded the groceries Dib retreated to his dad's lab which was pretty much his lab now as his dad rarely came home anymore. Liz stayed upstairs in the kitchen to do some experiments of her own, or so she told him. There was a sink in the lab and Dib took a sample of the filtered water and began running some tests on it. What he found surprised him, even filtered the water had a lot more than H2O in it. He almost felt disgusted knowing that he had been drinking in all these extra chemicals over the years. He knew that with his paranoid brain he would now be much more weary of being exposed in the rain knowing what was in the water. He did however feel a little impressed with himself and humans in general that they were all able to build up an immunity to all the chemicals that they put out into the environment... right?

That doubting thought made Dib pause. Had humanity come out unscathed from exposing themselves to all these chemicals on a daily basis? He was surprised himself at how...stupid people could be, was there a connection? His science driven brain now given a question sought a way to find out. He plopped into the lab's wheeling chair and pushed himself over to the large computer screen and began researching as far back he could about... what would be the factor to test? Intelligence? Skool testing? That seemed to be the best start as any. They had to take standardized tests, might as well start there.

It was easy enough to hack into the skool's systems and get the information he needed. He started with the current level of intelligence in skool. Looking over the data Dib frowned, the average intelligence was pretty high considering how stupid he knew everyone to be. He hacked further to get a look at what the individual scores were and still he was surprised. Just out of curiosity he pulled up the tests, even though he knew what they were because he had taken them himself, but it just didn't make sense.

Dumbfounded, Dib stared at the test. It was different! He leaned forward and dug further into the system. There were different versions of the test being given out, different _standardized_ tests which was stupid in itself. The tests given to Torque and the jocks were painfully simple but yet their scores were still just at a decent passing grade. Students like Zita were given simple and watered down versions of his tests and they managed to get average scores. The normal tests were only given to handful of students, himself, Gaz, Skoodge and Zim, and Liz he noted was in the list as well. Curious, and unable to stop himself he review his new relative's scores.

She had average scores in science and math and high scores in English and failed in modern history, which wasn't surprising considering she didn't know any history from the past three hundred years. She also received high scores in physical education, higher, Dib realized, than his own. Dib pouted a little at this, he knew his skills were pretty high due to his years of fighting Zim. Next he compared his scores with Zim's they were pretty much the same, which meant that Liz scored higher than Zim. Dib looked at Skoodge's scores and his were the highest. Logging that bit of information away Dib went back to the task at hand.

When were the different tests put in place? After some more research he found that the third test, the one for Torque's level, was added fairly recently in the last twenty years. The second test was added... he couldn't find the data. All data from over a hundred years ago just wasn't there. His fingers flying over the keyboard Dib tried to hack further but it wasn't that the data was hidden, it was gone, like it never existed. He looked into another city's skools and found the results to be the same. No data from over a hundred years ago and a masking of how stupid the populace was, except in many other skools they had gotten rid of the test Dib took altogether and only had the other two tests. It was true then, humanity was getting stupider.

But was this the result of the chemicals in the water and food? If it was, it didn't make sense, inventing a purifier would be a simple thing to do. They just had to put some restrictions on what could and couldn't be used. Why erase the data too? Why act like humanity wasn't getting dumber? First thing, first. He had to know what affect the chemicals in the water were having on their system and for that he needed a control sample. He couldn't use his own samples because his body already had them. He needed a pure sample, uncontaminated.

A clattering from upstairs broke his concentration. Liz! Dib ran upstairs and burst from the lab startling Liz into dropping the pan once again. "ComewithmeIneedsomeofyourblood," Dib rushed out in one excited breath.

"In English?" Liz prompted placing the pan on the table.

"Humanity is getting dumber. Standardized test scores are being skewed to keep it hidden but the average intelligence has greatly reduced and all data from a hundred years ago has been lost. I need to run some tests to see if its just the chemicals in the water that are responsible, but I need a control sample, an uncontaminated one," Dib explained when Liz didn't respond or seem to understand he continued. "I need some of your blood."

"Oh," Liz said finally understanding Dib's rant. She went back to her pan and poured some oil in it and turned on the stove top. "No," she said.

Dib blinked, it took his brain a few seconds to comprehend her refusal. "Why?!" he sputtered finally. "I need to know. This affects all of humanity!"

"No, you don't," Liz said turning off the stove when she realized this would require more of her attention. "You don't need to know the reason why to make a purifier, and why do you want to know?"

"People are getting dumber and the government is hiding it and ignoring it! There has to be some other reason why this is happening, this can't be the results of ingesting more chemicals. If it were then water purification would have gone into affect long ago and there would be more restrictions on what they could and couldn't do," Dib said.

"If there is some large government conspiracy going on," Liz said leaning against the counter, "Why do you want to know about it? Don't you have your plate full with stopping an alien from taking over?"

"Yes, but," Dib grunted in frustration. "Why _don't _you care about this?!"

"You want to know what I think, honestly?" Liz asked and Dib nodded. "Honestly, I don't give two shits about the rest of humanity. I only care about you, Gaz and your dad by extension, maybe. The Family is always number one, besides that screw everyone else and do what you want. Live how you want, you can't be free if you're caught up in trying to save everyone. Knowing what the government is plotting won't affect your daily life, since you're a normal citizen so why bother?" Liz shrugged then as an afterthought added. "And besides I had a crazy disease, remember? My sample probably won't do you any good."

"That's a pretty selfish viewpoint," Dib stated not wanting to back down.

"So?" Liz said simply. "Humanity might be stupider but selfishness isn't new. I mean your own father doesn't seem to be home much. Not once in the past few days has he called or come home."

"He's busy, he's an important person," Dib muttered.

"And I can tell you right now that he probably isn't very free," she paused. "Or he is too free. So free that he does what he wants regardless of how neglected his own children are, and that's the difference between then and now, I suppose. Family means less," Liz turned back to the stove.

Dib stared at her back. He hadn't expected this kind of reaction from her. Not knowing what to say and feeling a little hurt he turned to go back down to the lab. Behind him he heard a sigh and after taking a few steps down Liz called back after him.

"Dib?" she said from the top of the stairs and he turned back. She took a deep breath and tugged at one of her braids. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to dump all that on you. I'm not used to feeling afraid," she admitted surprising Dib. He climbed back up the stairs. "Look, I won't take back what I said because it's true, but I can see that this is important to you. So I'll apologize for saying it how I did."

"What are you afraid of?" Dib asked as she hadn't explained that part.

She gave him a sheepish look and gestured to the lab behind him. When he stared behind him then back at her with a confused look on his face she looked away and puffed her cheeks out as they began to turn pink. "The lab okay?" she said quickly.

"You're afraid of the lab," Dib said slowly wanting to make sure he had that right.

"With good reason," Liz protested, on the defensive now. "The last time I went in a lab I woke up three hundred years later, that kinda messed with me a bit."

Dib nodded that made sense to him. "If I brought up what I needed to the kitchen would you let me take a sample?"

"No," she said fiddling with the end of her braid and not looking at him. "Like I said my blood wouldn't be of any use."

"But it would be interesting to do a comparison," Dib pressed trying to hide his grin, he could tell that the blood thing was just an excuse.

"Don't you have a purifier to make me?" she said trying to change the subject and make it sound intimidating. When Dib didn't respond she glanced at him and her face flushed brighter when she saw his wide knowing grin.

"You're afraid of needles," Dib accused not dropping his grin.

"So?" Liz said trying to sound tough. "Well, you, you're... you have a big head," she mumbled.

"It's normal," Dib pouted not liking that she had poked at a sensitive subject for him.

"It's big," Liz said and gave him a smile seeing as she had found something to attack him with. "And it's probably because your head is so full of Zim," she teased.

Dib blushed, "Is not," he said turning and retreated back down the stairs.

"What's the matter, Dib?" Liz called after him in a sing-song voice.

"I'm very busy, Liz," he called back. "I want to make a purifier, I don't have time for idle chit-chat." Her laughter was all he heard in reply and Dib smiled a little. It was nice having a conversation with someone who didn't call him crazy or yell every other word at him. However, she was flipping a lot of his thoughts around and it was a bit exhausting. In all honestly he missed the yelling a little. Liz did have a point though, knowing why things were the way they were wasn't going to help him make the purifier for Liz. He would develop a way to purify the water coming to their house first and then he would start researching what happened to all of the data.

It took him the rest of the day, but he did it. He created a filtration system that he attached to the main water pump to the house. Luckily the main pump could be reached through the lab and all he had to do was shut down the water for a few minuets while he installed his invention into the pipe. Sealing the pipe back up he nodded proudly to himself and turned the water back on. Letting the sink run for a little to clear the pipes of the old water he ran a test and was very pleased with the results. Leaving the lab he went to go tell Liz of his success.


	9. Chapter 9

**Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed. :) I'm really happy that Liz is being well received too. After this chapter there will be a three month time jump and I'll probably post the next chapter before the end of this week. Thanks again for reading! **

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><p>As he climbed the stairs a new and amazing smell came wafting down. Dib opened the door and stepped into the kitchen as Liz was setting the table. She saw him and stood proudly.<p>

"You're just in time. It took a few tries but I finally got it right. Sit, I'll get Gaz. She came home a little while ago," Liz said and bounced happily into the living room. Dib sat at the table and eyed the oven which was slightly ajar and letting the amazing smell come out.

Gaz followed Liz back into the kitchen and sat down in her usual spot. She paused her game slave, as she did only for important things like beating him up or food. Liz opened the oven and using some mitts took out her creation. Her back was still turned to them as she spoke.

"This, boys and girls, is pizza done right, Italian style!" Liz turned and presented the pizza to them. It wasn't dripping in cheese or grease and had toppings that they hadn't seen on pizza before, like onions and peppers, the crust didn't look soggy but crisp and crunchy, and the smell. Dib inhaled deeply, pizza never smelt this good. Liz placed the hot pan on the cloth she had placed on the table and used the pizza cutter she found in the back of the drawer to cut the pizza into nice big slices giving them each one then putting one on her own plate.

Dib took a bite and the flavors flowed across his tongue. He never knew that pizza could have more than one flavor at a time. He could taste the crunchy crust and the hints of something in the bread, as well as the cheese and the veggies which didn't taste like veggies but something else, something good.

"Hm," Liz said thoughtfully chewing. "The onions and peppers I could saute a little more and add a hint more of spices, but the crust came out pretty well. The sauce I could adjust, but it's okay," she said evaluating her work.

"This is amazing," Dib said. "I had no idea pizza could taste like this!"

"Hmm," Gaz said in reply still chewing, "I'll eat it," which was about as close to a complement as she would ever come.

Liz smiled happily with a pleased blush. "Glad you approve, pizza is the one thing that I can make well. Even Dizzy said that he could eat it and he was a man that could cook. It's not the best it could be as some of the ingredients aren't the greatest, but it'll due."

"I don't see how you could make this better," Dib said around his next mouthful.

"That's because you're used to eating crap, literally, as the things are labeled as such," Liz pointed out. "And there was no form of meat at the store that I would even want to go near much less place it on a pizza, so they will be vegetarian pizzas for now."

"That's fine with me," Dib said happily devouring his slice and reaching for another. "Oh, and I fixed the water."

"Really?" Liz said jumping up and going over to the sink. She turned it on and let a run a bit at Dib's instruction then hesitantly stuck her hand under the stream. Making a pleased sound she let her fingers play under the water then tilted her head to let it run over her tongue a moment before drinking. "It's good," she said after swallowing then grabbing a glass from the cupboard filled it and downed a whole glass before refilling it and bringing it back to the table. "Nice and crisp and refreshing. Nice work, Dib."

Dib nodded in acknowledgment and held up his pizza slice to indicate that he approved of her efforts today as well. Gaz snorted as she was too busy eating to warrant them with words, which both teens took as a positive thing and continued with their meal.

That night Liz took a long hot shower before going to bed and thanked Dib again for his efforts saying that she finally felt clean. Dib felt a warm rush of pleasure at finally doing something that someone liked and thanked him for. Back in his room he turned on his computer and seeing nothing going on in Zim's base at the moment he decided to try and see if he could dig up more information at how humanity had changed over the years. Liz might have had a point in what she said, but now that he knew there was something strange about it he had to know why and he would need help digging. So he sent an e-mail to his fellow Swollen Eyeball members and attached his findings.

He hadn't had as much contact with them as he did when he was younger, but every so often he would go out on a mission for them to investigate some paranormal or supernatural occurrence. More often than not he would come back empty handed but sometimes he would almost catch something on camera. His new findings weren't of a paranormal nature, but who knows maybe there was something else going on or some other reason for the missing data. After sending his e-mail Dib stretched out on his bed and quickly found sleep.

The next morning Dib and Gaz ate breakfast and were ready before Liz even woke up. Looking groggy and still sleepy despite the fact that it was past noon Liz came downstairs and sat on the couch. She watched Gaz play her Game Slave through the TV before she leaned over on the side of the couch and fell asleep again. After napping for an hour she woke up again and sat the at kitchen table eating some dry cereal. Dib sat with her at the table eating a sandwich for lunch.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She blinked at him a moment before it registered that he had spoken. "Saturday is my lazy day," she mumbled barely pronouncing her words. "I can sleep all I want, and I will," she yawned.

"So you'll be napping on and off all day?" Dib asked with a half smile.

"Yep," she said chewing a handful of cereal.

"Okay, if you need me I'll be in the lab," Dib said and she nodded. He went down to do some more research on the chemicals in the water. He ended up holing himself in the lab the rest of the day doing research on the specific chemicals in the water, what effects they could have on humans and where they might have come from. By the time dinner came around Dib knew a lot more about the chemicals and the major affects they had on the human body.

Firstly, it could account for some of the deformities he had seen on people, weird growths or mutations, like webbed toes. Secondly, there was a decrease in the birth rate over the last hundred years, perhaps that was why his dad had cloned them. Then it was as Dib had suspected, long term exposure to the chemicals could affect brain functioning, humanity was making itself stupider and it was too stupid to do anything about it. Sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose behind his glasses Dib pushed away from the computer. His stomach choose that time to remind him that he was human and needed sustenance to continue.

Trudging down the stairs and into the kitchen he found Gaz at the table eating a pizza that Liz had obviously made. "Where's Liz?" he asked sitting down to eat a slice.

"She made the pizza then went to bed," Gaz said obviously in a good mood from the food to give Dib a straight answer.

"She sure is sleeping a lot," Dib mused taking a bite of the wonderful culinary creation. "I hope she's feeling okay."

"She had a twitching episode earlier," Gaz commended.

"Was she okay?" Dib asked concerned.

"Eh," Gaz shrugged. "I was fighting a boss, I heard her cursing from the kitchen."

"I'll go check on her then," Dib said grabbing another slice but making sure to leave the last slice for Gaz. Dib finished his slice before he reached the top of the stairs. Walking down the hall past his room felt odd to him. He never went past his room which was why he never knew about the guest bedroom, now Liz's room. Knocking on the door he called out, "Liz?"

"'S open," came a slurred reply.

Dib cracked open the door and poked his head into the dark room. Rustling came from within and Liz turned on her cellphone the soft blue light illuminating her face. Eyes half-lidded she stared at him from under the covers.

"You feeling okay? Gaz said you had an episode."

"'M fine," she yawned. "Fricken annoying 's all. Made pizza. M' 'morrow," she said intelligently then passed back out, cellphone in hand. Chuckling Dib lightly stepped into the room and moved the phone from her hand to her night stand. He then went back downstairs hoping reruns of Mysterious Mysteries were on again tonight.

The next morning Liz was able to stay awake for more than thirty minutes and joined Dib and Gaz for breakfast, though she just ate dry cereal again. As promised Dib contacted his dad about Liz's stuff, but he wasn't answering so he left a message. The Swollen Eyeball had also e-mailed him back and were interested in his findings about the data loss and/or cover up and government conspiracy. Also as promised Dib scanned Liz's picture into his computer and ran it through his editing program that cleans up pictures, after restoring the image to its former glory Dib sent it back to Liz's phone. She squealed in delight when he sent her the picture causing them both to be banned from the living room where Gaz was playing her game.

They retreated to Liz's room where she babbled excitedly about the picture and told Dib about her big brother. Dizwald Membrane, or Dizzy as she called him, had single-handedly invented cryogenic freezing and basically started the Membrane family's legacy in the science world. However, according to Lizzy while she loved and respected her brother he didn't like anything that wasn't connected to math and science.

"He didn't believe in the paranormal or supernatural?" Dib asked.

"He avoided it when he could," Liz shrugged.

"What about you?" Dib hazarded.

"Me? Do I believe in the supernatural?" Liz asked and Dib nodded. "Well, yeah, of course. I like ghosts the most, but they can be such downers."

"Really!?" Dib asked excitedly. "We should go ghost hunting together sometime," he said and told her about the Swollen Eyeball organization which she seemed interested in and promised to lend him a hand the next time he received a mission from them.

Before they knew it, it had grown dark and not feeling like cooking Liz munched on some of the snack foods she picked out from the grocery store, stuff that had the least amount of chemicals in it. Gaz had retreated to her own room leaving the TV free, so Dib put in one of his favorite alien monster movies and the two laughed together at the horrible acting.

The next morning the three of them were walking to skool, Gaz in front playing on her Game Slave, when Zim jumped out from the bushes in front of them. Gaz not missing a beat walked around Zim and continued up to the edge of skool property. Dib and Liz paused startled to a stop by the almost comically-large bazooka-like gun resting on Zim's thin shoulders.

"Prepare to meet your stompy DOOM!" Zim screamed at them and laughed manically as he pulled the trigger. Liz and Dib ducked just in time as a flaming flip-flop zoomed past them and smacked into the telephone pole behind them then fell almost sadly to the ground as the flames died out. The two raised an eyebrow at each other before looking back to Zim who was oblivious to their reactions as he was still laughing. Finally he stopped and aimed his gun back at them and a wide grin splitting his face.

Pulling the trigger again Liz decided to dodge away while Dib stood and stared down Zim. Unfortunately for Dib, the next shoe wasn't so harmless and a flaming combat boot struck him down square in the face knocking him off his feet. Liking the results Zim fired several more rounds while Dib rolled around avoiding the shoes and simultaneously trying to smother the small flames on his jacket. Completely forgetting about Liz and needing to find cover, Dib dashed down the street while screaming at people to look at Zim. Even though Dib didn't really want the government to come and take Zim away, old habits died hard. However, the others kids just shrugged and went along their way as Zim chased after Dib.

Dib ducked around a building for cover and to give himself a minute to catch his breath while he put out the fire at the end of his jacket. How Zim came up with his crazy ideas Dib couldn't even guess, but that was what Dib loved about their fights, nothing was ever boring. Nothing about Zim was boring, his mannerisms, speech-patterns, his actions, his looks; everything was different, exciting.

At that thought, Dib brought his hand to cover his eyes, now was not the time to be thinking about his new-found attraction to the alien. Though in the heat of a battle, when his adrenaline was pumping, it didn't take much for his teenage brain to make the jump to that topic. Actually, it was entirely normal, scientifically backed, if he thought about it. Being excited and being _excited _weren't that different physiologically from each other, just the thought process behind it.

Yes. Dib nodded to himself. So what if he enjoyed the fight a little more than usual? Wasn't it a saying somewhere about the hunt or chase being fun? And it wasn't a crime to enjoy fighting to protect the Earth. He could enjoy the fight, it didn't have to be purely for the sake of the Earth. This was what Liz must have meant when she told him to figure out his reason for fighting. He did want recognition, he did want to be validated, but he could also accept the fact that he would just become Earth's silent protector. The thrill of the battle, pitting himself against someone strong, agile, creative and spontaneous was a great way to test his own limits and abilities. He was growing stronger and smarter in ways he couldn't have on his own. If he happened to find his enemy physically appealing wasn't that just icing on the cake? It didn't mean he was in... that he... He was simply attracted to the exotic alien, nothing more; an attraction that was based off of the thrill of battle. Yes. Yes. It was all very simple and logical.

"Dib-stink," an annoyed voice startled him from his thoughts. Zim was leaning on his gun directly in front of him, his violet contacted-eyes peering up into his. Dib made an _almost_ unmanly squeal in surprise.

"Z-Zim," Dib said his voice slightly higher from the shock of Zim suddenly appearing. Upon hearing his own voice crack Dib cleared his throat and was able to speak normally. "How did you suddenly get there?" he demanded to know, if Zim had a teleportation device Dib would need to make plans to counter such a thing.

"Zim did not get here suddenly," he said irritated. "It was the Dib who was stupidly making blank stupid eyes. You should be trembling in fear from my amazing weapon of _doom, _not nodding at a wall," he gestured to the wall behind him. "Have you the brain-worms?" he asked taking a step closer as if to see if there were worms squiggling around in Dib's eyes.

When Zim took another step forward invading his personal space, Dib immediately scrambled backwards hitting the wall behind him. Zim was not trying to hit him, stab him, scream at him, or destroy him which were the only logically reasons Zim would be so close, and as Zim wasn't currently doing any of those things it was hard for Dib to delude himself into thinking that his attraction was purely an adrenaline thing.

Right away Zim noticed that something was off about the Dib-human. He seemed distracted, which was ridiculous as nothing should distract anyone from his amazingness. It was highly unusual for Dib to be so distracted that he would lower his guard enough for Zim to approach and stand right in front of him without getting any sort of reaction.

However, this new reaction of Dib-thing's, backing away as the blood candies flooded his face was very intriguing. It was almost as if he was afraid, but the scent his antennae picked up wasn't familiar. He needed a better sample which was impossible with the wig on. A quick glance around assured him that they were alone and the Dib-human didn't have his camera out, so Zim removed his wig letting his antennae perk up both out of relief from the wig and to gather more of this new scent Dib was giving off. When he removed his wig the scent intensified as the human made a startled noise and began inching away along the wall.

"W-Why," he began and again his voice sounded funny so the human repeated the word, "why are you taking off your wig?"

"What is this scent, Dib-stink?" Zim answered with his own question.

"Scent?" he repeated confused, but still trying to inch away slowly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"This scent!" Zim lunged forward as his spider legs sprung out and stabbed into the brick on either side of the human and right through his jacket pinning him to the wall. His antennae wiggled in the air collecting the scent as Dib stared at the black stalks. Zim watched as the human visibly swallowed, when he leaned closer the scent intensified. "It grows when I come close. Why? Why does it react to _Zim_?"

Suddenly understanding what scent Zim might be picking up on and completely freaked out about it Dib did the only thing he could think of. He slipped out of his jacket and flailing his arms ran out from the alley making small freaked out sounds all the way to Skool.

Not quite sure what to make of the human's behavior Zim stood in the alley looking back and forth between the mouth of the alley and the black jacket his two spider legs had pinned to the wall.

"Eh?"

* * *

><p>Liz watched Dib chase after Zim and called out a 'good luck' to him but she doubted he heard her. When Dib thought about Zim all other thoughts and people dropped from his mind. Shrugging in a what-can-you-do way she continued on to Skool. She had her own foe to face, Skoodge. As Liz made her way to her locker she pondered possible ways to apologize to him and what she could do to amend their delicate friendship. As bring oblivious when deep in thought ran in the family, Liz didn't notice that the bell had rung. She stood in front of her open locker frowning in thought. It wasn't until she felt something poke her shoulder that she spun around ready to defend herself, but her instant alert wasn't necessary as it was Skoodge whom had poked her.<p>

She stared at what he had poked her with, a leaf covered branch. Confused and a little hurt that he wouldn't even want to touch her with his gloved hands anymore she looked up into his violet contacts. However, she didn't see disgust or disdain on his face. He regarded her seriously and made as if to poke her in the shoulder again but stopped just short. Confused as hell Liz stared at the branch, it was the beginning of spring so the branch was covered in leaves and a few buds, one bud had even begun to bloom into a white flower. Raising a questioning eyebrow Liz looked back up at Skoodge.

His serious face faltered for a moment and grew slightly uncertain. "I'm extending this branch towards you," he stated repeating the almost poking gesture.

"I can see that," Liz said.

"We have a truce now?" Skoodge asked.

It took Liz a long moment of staring at Skoodge, whom resisted the urge to squirm under her gaze, to finally grasp what the alien was trying to do. He looked so serious and Liz bit the inside of her cheek to keep her face straight but it was a failed attempt as she felt her lips curl up. She brought her fist to her mouth to cover her grin and coughed.

"Is it an olive branch?" Liz asked trying to keep her face still.

"Olive?" Skoodge repeated with slight worry in his tone, the branch drooping slightly. "No, from a floral tree."

"Oh, a tree that has flowers?" Liz clarified and Skoodge nodded. She had no idea if Skoodge choose a branch that had flowers on purpose, but she honestly didn't care. He was _so_ serious, Liz couldn't help herself anymore and a giggle escaped her lips slightly muffled by the hand she clamped over her mouth. From the way Skoodge twitched she could tell he heard it. Leaning back Liz squatted down to bury her face in her knees, this was too damn funny. Her shoulders shook with the silent laughter.

"Liz-human?" Skoodge ventured and poked her with the 'peace branch', Liz lost it and fell over laughing. With watering eyes and gasping breaths in-between raspy laughs Liz saw Skoodge frown at her disappointed, the branch held loosely in his hand by his side. Feeling bad, Liz gained control of her laughter and pushed herself into a sitting position. Grinning like a fool she reached out and plucked a white flower from the branch and twirled the stem between her fingers before tucking it behind her ear. She held out her hand to him. "Help me up," she instructed.

It was clear this wasn't the reaction Skoodge had been expecting and the disappointment was clear on his face though he did as he was told and reached out his three-fingered/clawed gloved-hand out to her. But instead of using his help to stand, Liz pulled his hand down as she sprang up and planted a quick kiss on his green cheek. Leaning back, his hand still captured in hers, Liz smiled at him.

"Apology accepted," she said. "And I'm sorry for the harsh words as well, forgive me?"

Shocked at the contact of the human's soft lips against his face it took a moment before Skoodge's PAK's memory alerted him to the significance of her words. He brought his free hand to his face as if he might still feel the sensation through his gloves then slowly nodded.

"Great," Liz beamed at him. "That makes us friends. Come on," she tugged on his hand. "We should get to class."

Skoodge nodded, his PAK was struggling with helping him form words as she squeezed his hand. However, they didn't get far before the skool's front doors burst open making them both turn to see Dib running down the hall. At his freaked out expression Liz dropped Skoodge's hand.

"Dib? What's wrong? You okay? Where's your jacket?" Liz asked running up to meet him. Skoodge followed after slowly, though his attention was on his now empty hand. He experimentally opened and closed his fist trying to pinpoint the earlier sensation.

Dib didn't say anything, but when he saw Liz he narrowed his eyes at her. He stomped up and grabbed her wrist dragging her down the hall. Too intent on his destination he didn't see Skoodge's furrowed brow when he grabbed Liz's hand. Confused at Dib's anger, Liz let herself be dragged down the hall and pulled into the boys' restroom. Once inside he released her hand and began pacing the room checking to see if the stalls were empty and to get rid of the anxious energy he had.

"This is all your fault!" Dib shouted in anger.

"What's my fault?" Liz crossed her arms across her chest, not one to back down when being confronted.

"He noticed!" Dib advanced towards her.

"Who noticed what?" Liz asked.

"ZIM!" Dib threw his hands up in the air. "He could _smell _it! He knows that I—SPY!" Dib screeched the last dramatically pointing at the boys' bathroom door where Skoodge stood. Freaking out once more Dib dove into the nearest stall.

Sighing, Liz walked over to Skoodge and placed a hand lightly on his chest to prevent him from going further and lightly pushed him backwards. "Why don't you go ahead? I'll see you in class later. This is family stuff," she said apologetically and gently pushed Skoodge out of the boys' restroom then closed and locked the door to give her and her freaked-out relative some privacy.

"Dib?" Liz knocked on the stall and he moaned woefully in response. "Dib, open this door because I am NOT crawling on the floor here." She waited and heard the sound of the latch opening and Dib opened the stall door. He was sitting on top of the toilet seat lid, which made Liz cringe because she doubted anyone ever cleaned properly in here. He had an all-hope-is-lost look on his face. "So, what happened?"

"I was distracted while fighting and-"

"-Distracted by what?" Liz cut in as not much could distract Dib once he had Zim on the brain.

"Thinking about how I find Zim and our fights exciting."

"Okay, that makes sense, go on," Liz gestured with one hand for him to continue.

"And I didn't notice that he was standing right in front of me. He noticed something was off and stepped closer right up near my face," Dib said his ears turning red from the memory, but mostly from embarrassment. "I couldn't help but notice how close he was, usually we're fighting when he's that close but he wasn't trying to kill me in that moment so..."

"So your hormone driven brain took over?" Liz guessed.

"He could _smell_ it," Dib looked up horror stricken. "Now he knows and I can't ever show my face to him again!" he wailed dramatically.

Sighing Liz slapped Dib across the face.

"Ow!" he held his stinging cheek and glared up at her. "What the hell was that for?"

"Stop whining like a thirteen year old girl who just found out her crush noticed her staring. It makes you look stupid," Liz said bluntly and placed her hands on her hips. "You're a Membrane. Grow a pair." Dib pouted but didn't say anything. "Now, are you sure he knows? Did you say anything to him?"

"No, but he pinned me to the wall and demanded I explain the scent I was giving off," Dib said wincing when he said 'scent'.

"Then that means he doesn't know just yet," Liz said. "If he was, I don't know, smelling your hormones you could just tell him it's a normal human thing, that they randomly increase and make you act weird, which isn't that far from the truth," she said reasonably. "However, I don't see the problem with him finding out you think he's attractive."

"He's an alien!" Dib protested. "And my enemy. He'll use it against me or laugh at me."

"Plausible reactions," Liz nodded. "But what if he's interested?"

"He's an alien!" Dib repeated.

"Well, that hasn't stopped you," Liz pointed out.

"I don't even know if Irkens have those types of _feelings_," Dib said. "I don't think they reproduce like humans do."

"Valid point," she said. "So, firstly we need to find out about Irken reproduction then we can go from there."

"Go where?" Dib asked.

"Dib," Liz looked at him raising her eyebrow. "Do I need to spell it out?" he continued to stare confused and Liz rolled her eyes. "Do they have sex? How do they form relationships? How should you go about forming one?" as she spoke Dib turned bright red.

"Zim hates me, he's the enemy. It's pointless," Dib muttered.

"Dib, you've been together a long time and you haven't seriously hurt each other. If Zim had seriously hurt you I don't think you would have fallen in-"

"-Don't say it!" Dib cut her off. "I'm not..._that_. I'm just attracted to him."

"Uh huh," Liz said unconvinced. "Well, in any case don't wallow in the bathroom about it. Either control your hormones or own up to them. I'll do what I can on my part and see if I can get any information from Skoodge about Irkens."

"You're going to interrogate him?" Dib asked.

"No way," Liz shook her head. "We just became friends again. I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize that, but a little harmless flirting will do just the trick."

"Flirting?!" Dib stared at her. "With _Skoodge?_ But he's an alien!"

Liz shrugged, "What can I say?" she said unlocking the door. "We are related after all." She winked at him and slipped out of the boys' bathroom.

Dib stared after her not sure what to feel about that statement. However, she did have a point, he couldn't hide in the bathroom. Zim was still bent on destroying the Earth and hormones or not he had to defend his planet. With renewed vigor Dib confidently swung open the door and stepped out into the hall, and bumped right into Zim.

"Z-Zim!" Dib said and was very proud of himself for keeping his voice from squeaking.

"Dib-stink," Zim said narrowing his eyes at him as he regained his footing, in one of his clawed hands he gripped Dib's jacket. After a moment of an intense and awkward (for Dib) staring contest Zim held out the jacket. Not sure what to say Dib took back the jacket. Zim continued to suspiciously glare at him in silence then finally spoke. "Fix your brain-meats, Dib-worm, before we next fight or I _will_ destroy you," he said then marched down the hall to his next class.

Dib stared down at his jacket and held it up, there were two holes where Zim's spider legs had pierced through it, he was going to have to get another one...again. However, it would do for now so he shrugged into the battle torn jacket. Maybe he was safe after all, Zim didn't seem to know anything. He would do his best to act normal and wait to see what information Liz could gather. After all if he wanted to beat his enemy he should learn as much about him as he could. The more knowledge Dib had about Irkens the better prepared he would be for when the armada came. It was completely reasonable. He needed that information to protect Earth and that was it. Yep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Here is the next chapter. Thank you again to everyone who has been reading it. Let me know if you have any questions as I start to reveal more of my own Headcanon ideas about Irkens and the Membrane family history. **

* * *

><p><em>3 months later<em>

Dib sat at his computer reading his e-mails from the Swollen Eyeball. It was about the conspiracy theory that the government was covering up everyone's intelligence levels going down. It seemed that many of the members were now looking into it since it had been brought to light. They were also looking into how no one else had noticed such things before. There was a meeting coming up in another month to share findings. Dib had become more involved in the Swollen Eyeball activities these last three months.

He turned off the computer and was very proud of himself for not looking at his hidden cameras in Zim's house. That was the deal Liz made with him when he began pestering her for information daily...hourly. On the first day of their deal he demanded to know what she found out after skool. Liz gave him an 'are you an idiot' look. She told him that finding out more about the Irkens would take time and finesse, which-she informed him-was why she was going to do the asking. He would have to wait and practice patience. A wicked grin then split her face.

"For every three days you go without spying on Zim, I will tell you some information I find out." Of course Dib exploded outraged at the unfair terms but one look from her had him quieted down.

"This will be a great chance for you," she said to him. "Try to act like a normal person with a crush. Normal people don't spy on the objects of their affection, or try to break into their house," she added.

"But what about stopping Zim's evil plans?" Dib protested.

"From what you told me of him, he loves an audience, I doubt he'll do much without your knowledge. This will give you the chance to think about what you want, about relationships and with your life. You only have a year and a half left of Hi-Skool. You and Zim won't be together in skool forever. If you continue to chase him without something else going on for you in your life you're going to end up living in your dad's house for the rest of your life."

That bit of wisdom had scared Dib into following her advise. The last thing he wanted was to live in the house and rely on his dad. He wanted to move out as soon as he turned 18. And in all honesty he doubted his dad would notice his absence.

So while the first few weeks he had failed to meet Liz's terms and she told him nothing, the next month was easier and she told him tidbits of information she had gathered from talking with Skoodge. She also said that she had been able to talk with Zim a few times during the classes they shared. That had surprised Dib and he asked her how she had managed to do so. She just smiled and said 'trade secret'.

A few times Dib had seen Liz leave skool with Skoodge and knew after one afternoon of stalking them that they would often walk though the park then take a walk around the city before going to the cafe Dib had taken her to. Liz had made friends with the owner and much to Dib and Gaz's enjoyment was able to buy some ingredients off Missy. So once a week Liz would make them pastries or some sort of sweets as she tried to remember some of her favorite recipes. It was only once a week because Liz would use most of the ingredients trying to get the recipe right.

Dib couldn't imagine what her 'trade secret' was but what she did find out about the Irkens was interesting. They didn't have parents and were created though some sort of artificial cloning process and made in test tubes. When they were 'born' their PAKs were attached to their backs sending a jolt into their bodies and shocking them alive. Which made a lot of sense to Dib as he knew that they couldn't survive more than 10 minuets without their PAKs.

Liz also found out that there were definite males and females, like Tak, but they were all treated the same as gender didn't matter, though fewer females were created than males. Liz also told Dib that she didn't think Irkens knew anything about relationships as they didn't need to have them to create the next generation, but she suspected that as a race must have been able to at one point. She was currently trying to find out more about their history as a race to see if they produced naturally like humans did. But she said it was a delicate subject to just ask about and she also told Dib that she wasn't even sure if the Irkens themselves would know. At that Dib was confused but when he asked her about it she just shook her head and said it was a hunch.

Dib decided to leave the hunch guessing to Liz as her guess that Zim wouldn't destroy the world without Dib's knowledge had turned out to be true. Since Dib stopped trying to break into Zim's lab, the alien started to bring his evil plans of destruction to skool and would often reveal them to Dib. They would then have their normal battle and Dib was very proud of himself for not freaking out during their battles or blushing weirdly in the middle. When they fought he was able to stay focused and enjoy the fight. Which was one thing he couldn't deny anymore thanks to Liz.

She kept pointing out that whenever they fought he would come back relaxed and all smiles. So he had to admit to himself that he found fighting Zim exciting and fun and if he saved the world in the process then that was just a boon for him. After a lot of long conversations with Liz Dib did admit that while he wanted recognition from his peers and from others just having one person to talk to was enough. So while he had Liz to talk and rant to, he could focus his energy on stopping Zim and fighting Zim instead of trying to expose Zim (which would end the fighting and ultimately not something he wanted).

One struggle Dib was having was keeping his normal attitude around Zim when they weren't fighting. During class and lunch he would catch himself just staring at Zim, mostly because he wasn't watching Zim as much as he used to now that he was trying to spy less. The times when Zim caught him staring had Dib blushing and looking away and generally avoiding Zim for a while after, mostly because Zim would glare at him for the rest of the day and accuse him of having brain worms and questioning his scent again. Dib took Liz's advise and just brushed off Zim's comments saying it was a human thing and normal humans wouldn't be upset by it. At which point Zim would yell that he was normal and leave Dib alone until the next time it happened. Even after all these years repetition was something they were good at, having the same conversation in many ways.

There was a sudden knocking at Dib's door breaking his thoughts. "Come in " he called knowing who it was before she poked her head in. "Hey Liz," Dib said. She was the only one who knocked before entering his room. Well, she pretty much was the only one entering his room.

"Hey," she greeted back stepping all the way in. "Any word from your dad yet?" she asked.

Dib had sent in his weekly report on Friday and it was now Sunday. Liz's shaking episodes were still happening, maybe once or twice a week now. They weren't seizures as Liz was fully alert for them, it was just like her body had to suddenly shake itself all over as if to prove it wasn't frozen anymore. With each weekly report he also added a note to his dad about Liz's belongings and each week he received no response. Though when he missed the Friday report his dad always called for him to send it and hung up before Dib could ask, so he knew his dad read or at least received the reports. He really wished his dad would find her stuff already. Each time he said no Liz just became more and more depressed.

"Not yet, but maybe soon?" Dib said trying to sound hopeful.

Instead of being depressed like he had come to expect Liz scowled. "It's been three freakin' months, what the hell? After skool tomorrow can you take me to his lab so I can kick some ass?"

Dib chuckled. "Sure, but good luck getting in. I'm his own son-sort of-And they don't even recognize me, which you think they would. I'm cloned from him after all," Dib said with a frown, he never understood how no one recognized him after all these years.

"Oh, we won't have any problems there," Liz assured him. "I can be very persuasive," she said with a devilish grin and Dib became very interested in what Liz had in mind.

The next day after skool Dib drove them both to the Membrane labs and parked in the visitor parking. As they neared the front the usual guards with their taser sticks blocked their path.

"What business do you have here?" one guard asked.

"We're here to see Professor Membrane," Liz said.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Yes," Liz lied.

"Oh, okay, go on in then," the guard said letting them pass.

Once they were inside and out of earshot Dib whispered to Liz. "That was your grand way in?"

"No," Liz said frowning. "I didn't expect it to be that easy. I thought I was going to have to cause a scene before they let me in."

"Oh," Dib said feeling a little foolish that he had never tried that before. He pointed down the hall. "His lab is this way." They arrived at his dad's lab and he was busy conducting an experiment that must somehow involve a platypus and a bunch of bananas in the glass tubes in front of him. Dib stepped into the lab but Liz froze outside the lab entrance, her face paler than usual. "Liz?" Dib ventured concerned.

"Just get his attention," she swallowed and though she was clearly nervous held her head high.

Dib called into the lab and his dad turned from the tubes and looked over their way along with several other scientists.

"Son," he said approaching them. "What are you doing here? Come to finally learn about REAL SCIENCE!" He shook his hand in the air.

"No, Dad, Liz wanted to know-"

"No? Well, I'm a very busy man," his dad interrupted. "I have no time for your insane babble." He turned and began to walk away when Liz spoke up.

"You get your science-stupid ass back here," Liz said her voice full of authority. Caught off guard Dib's dad turned back to look at her.

"What is it child?"

"Oh no," Liz shifted her weight to one foot and planted her hands on her hips. "You will not treat me like some random stranger. Three months. _Three months_ I asked nicely and politely about my belongings. I gave you three months," Liz repeated again. "To find out what happened to all my stuff and what have you done? Nothing. Absolutely nothing, not even a response to say that you had even tried to look.

"I am your super great aunt! I'm almost three hundred and eighteen years old. As your senior in age and rank in the family I demand that you show me the courtesy that I deserve. Do you understand me, _nephew_?" Liz glared down the professor who was looking slightly chastised and even the other scientists were looking around or at the ground, just like a bunch of kids watching their friend get scolded by his mom.

"Well?" Liz prompted when she didn't get a response.

"I will look into it immediately," his dad said.

"Good." Liz nodded but she wasn't done with him yet. "One more thing, I want you to think long and hard about your family name. You are a Membrane and need to start acting like one. If you focused a little less on Real Science and a little more on your real life, maybe your children would have a small amount of respect for you."

And with that Liz turned around, but she paused before walking away and said spoke in a low threatening voice over her shoulder, "And, Nephew, I expect to see my belongings by the end of the week. If I don't hear from you nothing born of science will be able to undo the damage I will do to your precious lab."

Dib watched in awe as Liz strolled confidently away as his dad stared after her. Dib couldn't see his expression but even Dib was afraid of Liz at this point and she hadn't been talking to him. He glanced once more at his still unmoving father before chasing after Liz.

"Did you just threaten to blow up my dad's lab?" Dib asked after catching up to her in the hall.

"No, blowing it up is to cliche, I will open a portal to the underworld and make this place a hell on earth," Liz so seriously that Dib couldn't tell if she was joking or not and in case she was he didn't want to know how she would accomplish that... Well, actually, yes he did.

"How would you do that?"

"Open a portal to hell and twist this building into a land of nightmarish doom?" Liz asked and when Dib nodded she shrugged. "I know some stuff, but I think I got the message across so I'm not too worried about it."

"What did you mean when you told him to think about our family name?" Dib asked as they exited the building and gave friendly waves back to the guards as they left.

"What is a membrane?" Liz answered with a question.

"A sheet or layer of thin tissue that covers or separates an organism," Dib answered.

Liz rolled her eyes and stopped to face him when they were at the car. "It surrounds and protects the insides," Liz explained. "Our family was founded on that idea, we protect and take care of what is ours not just with walls or borders but with our very life. Your dad doesn't do any of that. It's disgraceful," Liz said in a huff before getting in the car.

Dib sat on the driver's side and started the engine. "Is that the real reason you were so mad? It wasn't really about your stuff."

"What? Oh hell no, I was pissed about that too. I'll be super pissed if I find out my most important possessions were lost."

Dib stared at her a brief second before letting out a snort of laughter and pulling out of the parking lot. Not too long after Dib began driving Liz pulled out her phone and began texting, within a few seconds after sending her text her phone buzzed with the response. Liz chuckled at the response and began typing back.

"Who are you talking to?" Dib asked genuinely curious as she socialized with the other kids at skool as much as he did, which wasn't any. After Rob's run-in with her her first day everyone decided to leave her alone, which was nice because by extension it meant that they were leaving him alone too. Liz only had to stare down Rob a few times before even he stopped trying to pick fights with her.

"Skoodge," Liz said causing Dib to almost drive off the road.

"What? Why? How? Do they even have cellphones?"

"Chill, Dib," Liz laughed. "He and Zim got phones after I told them it was really suspicious that they didn't have any. That was two months ago, I'm surprised you didn't notice until now. Oh, and can your drop me off at Devil's Brew? I'm meeting Skoodge there for a date."

_"__What?!" _Again Dib almost ended the life of several pedestrians as he veered onto the sidewalk.

"Dib, seriously!" Liz said clutching the seat. "Drive better." She scowled at him then waited until they were at a stop light before continuing. "Besides, we've already gone past third base so a date is harmless." Dib made sounds that didn't resemble any word in any language and Liz stared at his shocked face. A smile suddenly crawled into place and she burst out laughing. "Dib, Dib your face," she wheezed. "Priceless. So good. Oh," She continued to laugh as tears leaked out of he eyes and Dib jut his lower lip out in a pout when he realized that Liz was just joking with him.

"That wasn't funny," he mumbled lurching the car forward when it turned green.

"Yes, yes it was," Liz disagreed. "Skoodge still refers to me as his human ally, though I've tried to get him to admit we're friends he just doesn't get it, so obviously dating is way too much for him right now. And since you've been so good Dib, I think some more information is due," she began and Dib perked up a bit to listen better. "My hunch is that Irkens did once reproduce, maybe sexually, maybe eggs or something, but there are definite males and females. However, I think that those urges have been suppressed after generations of cloning."

"So, there's no way they would ever feel attraction." Dib said sadly. "Or understand it."

"I didn't say that," Liz corrected him. "I sometimes do a little harmless flirting with Skoodge and at some level I think he notices the difference in my behavior and approach, but I don't think he understands it consciously. But I have seen him react a little differently, like how a normal teenager would around girls, but he looks more confused than awkward. So I think on some level he gets it, or his body does, but his mind has no freakin clue. But," Liz paused thinking a moment. "Lately he's seemed more thoughtful than confused so maybe..." she trailed off and shrugged.

"Hm," Dib said digesting Liz's speculations. "So do you still need a ride to the Devil's Brew?"

"Yes, please," Liz perked up.

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><p>After waving good-bye to Dib Liz entered the cafe and spotted Skoodge in their usual booth in the back corner of the shop. Liz made her way to her favorite alien and greeted him with a smile when she saw their table. Skoodge had ordered her coffee, black, and a coffee for himself probably loaded with sugar. Liz had convinced Dib to make a water filter for Missy's shop and in exchange for the now freshest and cleanest water she had ever tasted (making her coffee and treats that much better) she allowed the two of them to eat and drink for free. Though both Liz and Dib always put a big tip in her jar when they left.<p>

With the filter in place Skoodge was able to drink the coffee here after much persistence on Liz's part to get him to try some. He ended up liking the drink once he discovered he could put in as much sugar and cream as he wanted into it. Liz's teeth hurt just watching Skoodge spoon in his sugar. She liked sweet things and would put sugar in her coffee if she was just having coffee but as she always had a pastry here. So she had her coffee black to add variety to the flavors.

Trying to hide a grin Liz watched Skoodge slightly adjust the positioning of their pastries so they were perfectly in the middle of the table. On their respective plates were two different pastry pieces cut neatly and accurately in half. Sharing had been Liz's idea after bringing Skoodge here and seeing him have the same problem she always did, choosing. So she suggested they each pick one and share half with each other. When she suggested this Skoodge had given her a look like she had grown a second head and Liz had been very tempted to check just to make sure.

However, when she retracted her offer he quickly and eagerly agreed, but had been appalled at her attempt to evenly break the sweet treats as one half was always bigger than the other. Even though she gave him the bigger pieces, he insisted on doing the splitting and had brought a little laser pen knife to cleanly and perfectly split their two treats. Skoodge was a perfectionist when it came to particular tasks. She discovered this too in art class as he would only draw things exactly as he saw them. Liz had tried to get him to be more creative as he seemed to like what she did, but he refused to try.

"Afternoon, Skoodge," Liz said sitting down in her spot across from him.

"Yes it is," he nodded seriously. A while back he had asked why humans always said 'good morning-afternoon-evening' to each other. Liz had jokingly told him it was because people wanted to confirm that they were all on the same time continuum so they frequently confirmed the time with each other. Skoodge had taken her seriously and Liz found it amusing that when she greeted him he would always respond seriously in a 'don't-worry-you-are-correct-it-is-that-time' kind of way, so she never corrected him. Eventually she started dropping the 'good' and greeted him with the time of day. To further amuse herself she would sometimes say 'morning-afternoon-evening' in a slightly worried tone and he would respond more vigorously and reassuringly.

Once comfortable Liz took note of Skoodge's choices, a cannoli and a strawberry tart. Liz liked fruit flavored things and whenever Skoodge choose for them he would always make sure to have a fruit flavored one though Liz knew he liked other flavors better. It was little things like that that made Liz really enjoy her time with Skoodge. At first she was interested in him because of the obvious reason that he was an alien and she didn't instantly hate him like the other students in skool. But as she hung out with him more and learned more, Liz found herself genuinely looking forward to spending time with him. She hoped that Skoodge felt the same about their time together.

She had made it clear very early on that she was curious about his race and wanted to learn about Irkens and in return she would answer any questions he had as best she could. So their time at Devil's Brew quickly became Q and A time. Of course both of them had the option to 'pass' on a question. That rule was set up early on to 'keep the peace' as Liz had put it. So if one of them stepped over a line accidentally they could pass on answering without worrying about breaking their truce.

"So who starts?" Liz said cheerfully picking up her coffee and taking a sip. She noticed Skoodge watching her closely and nodded at him telling him that he had ordered her coffee just right.

He relaxed a little and picked up his half of the cannoli, he was a eat-the-favorites-first type of person. "Your mission was a success?" he asked before taking a bite. Liz had told him she would be late to their daily meeting due to having to go kick some ass.

"Pretty much," Liz shrugged. "I stated my demands and my displeasure at his progress and terms were made. I should see results by the end of the week," she said having learned that explaining things in a military-like way made it easier for Skoodge to understand. Skoodge gave her a short approving nod. Liz took a bite of her cannoli as well (she was a favorites-last type) and chewed thoughtfully for a moment.

Skoodge could see her thinking and watched, having learned that if he kept quite in these moments she would often offer more information unprompted. Usually this information would be valuable as she would tell him things that he would not have thought to ask himself.

"Dib was surprised when he found out you and I text each other," Liz began. She had turned the situation into a joke in the car but something about Dib's reactions had struck Liz as odd and she couldn't pinpoint why. Talking with Skoodge was helpful in organizing her thoughts as he was a good listener. She frowned and took a sip of her coffee. "I mean, he knows we meet up. I _know_ he knows, I saw him following us here one time, and he thinks he was being stealthy," Liz snorted. "He's about as stealthy as a buffalo.

"But anyway, I just don't get how he could be so surprised," she continued not looking at Skoodge as she spoke but staring off into her thoughts. "It's not a secret that we hang out a lot and that I talk to you often, why was texting such a big thing? Maybe because it's so normal?" Liz mused aloud. "It's very normal for teenagers to text with their friends, maybe the fact that you and I chat and text like normal friends is weird to him because he can't imagine it himself. Hmm," Liz pondered. "I wonder if Dib has ever texted anyone outside of his family, and even then I don't think he and his sister have conversations. It's more like 'pick me up' or 'get your ass home' kind of things. Diz and I texted each other all the time with random and funny things, similar to Zim and I." Liz grinned and finally looked up at Skoodge. "Want to see the latest thing he sent me?" she asked but was already pulling up the picture before Skoodge could finish nodding.

Skoodge took Liz's phone from her hand. The first picture was of a white petaled flower and Liz typed under the picture 'look isn't this pretty?'. The picture Zim sent back was of a white petaled flower with a grotesque mouth swallowing a squirrel, he typed back 'VICTORY FOR ZIM'. Liz took back her phone and grinned at the picture again. Skoodge knew that Liz purposefully sent Zim pictures that she called 'cute' or 'pretty' and Zim would always take the subject of the picture and either mutate it into something else, destroy it, or turn it into a weapon. Zim didn't know that Liz did this because she found it amusing. Zim always asked Skoodge if she cried after seeing the picture, and would be disappointed when he told him 'no'. Skoodge was intrigued by Liz's reactions to the pictures Zim sent so he chose to not tell Zim that his plans to crush and defeat Liz were doomed to fail from the start.

"You did not show Dib-human these pictures?" Skoodge asked.

"Are you kidding?" Liz rolled her eyes as she put away her phone and picked up her coffee again. "He almost had a heart attack when I told him about us, if he found out I have friendly picture wars with Zim I think he would just keel over." Liz took a sip of her drink. "Maybe that's it. Dib of all people shouldn't be surprised that I'm getting along with you, an alien. It's super hypocritical of him," she said getting more frustrated as she thought about it. "He thinks that it's so weird, so strange that I like talking and being with you. He's being stupid. He's a stupidly dense boy that can't see anything beyond his own nose. Who is he to get all surprised? He can lie to himself all he wants, but I can see it. And sooner or later he's going to have to admit that he has feelings for Zim," as soon as the words left her lips Liz froze. She jerked her eyes up to meet Skoodge's as a feeling of dread filled her.

Skoodge grinned in triumph. He had been waiting for this exact moment. For the past two months he had been waiting and listening. When she spoke to him sometimes she would come close to telling some piece of information that she was hesitant to and would glance at him before changing what she had been about to say. Skoodge knew that if he waited and didn't press her for information she would eventually slip and tell him something he could use as leverage to get the answers he really wanted.

She was very open with information about human behavior and answered all the questions he had about Earth and humans. He in turn would answer her questions about Irkens, the ones that he was able to without betraying any military secrets, but she rarely asked about Irken missions or Impending Doom Two as he had expected her to. Her questions were more about Irkens as a race.

However, there were some things she did not answer. She did not like to speak about her history before being kept in a frozen state. She would only talk about her brother and what Earth was like 300 years ago, but never about herself. And there was one thing she had openly refused to answer which only made him want the answer even more.

What he did not understand was why Dib-human having feelings for Zim was a secret and valuable information to her. Humans were full of feelings and they had feelings and complex emotions for everything. He didn't think that humans could _not_ feel emotions about things. However, Liz seemed to think that this information was highly classified and his invader brain would not allow such an opportunity to slip by. He hadn't been the first to conquer his planet in Impending Doom Two by not taking advantage of such openings.

"Skoodge," she pleaded. "You can't tell Zim! You can't say anything. Nothing. To no one."

"I will stay silent about the Dib feeling feelings about Zim," Skoodge said and watched as Liz shushed him and hurriedly looked around to make sure no one in the busy cafe had overheard him, which no one had. "But I want a question answered in exchange."

Liz eyed him wearily. "What question?"

"Where do you go during the lunch time?" Skoodge asked. Liz blinked at the question but didn't seem too surprised by the exchange. It was one of the few things she had refused to tell him and no matter how hard Skoodge had searched he could not find out where she went. Skoodge watched in excitement as she shifted in her seat and chewed on the bottom of her lip. He didn't have to say anything more, she would break down on her own. She spoke often about how important protecting the ones who shared genetic code with her was, so he knew she would sacrifice her secrets in exchange for Dib's.

"What..." she began but trailed off and fidgeted a little more. "What if I tell you about _what_ I do during lunch?" she offered instead. He could understand her offer. She did not want to give up her secret location, because if he knew the location he would be able to find her and figure out what it was she did in that time. He thought about it a moment and decided that knowing what she did took out a step for him and he nodded in agreement.

"I..." Liz grew still and looked down at her lap. Then something very interesting happened. Her blood candies flooded her face and she glanced up at him quickly before looking away again.

His antennae twitched under his wig as her chemical scent changed and he picked up a different and new emotion from her. He didn't recognize it, but he picked it up often in the skool building, however the scent coming off of her made him excited, like he was about to enter a great battle with the knowledge that he had every chance of success. It made him feel strong and powerful, like how being an invader used to make him feel. He wanted to take off his wig and let his antennae freely collect the scent, he needed to know what this emotion was. He liked the scent. He liked the feeling it gave him. He liked having this powerful feeling, this feeling of control over Liz. He was making her release this scent and he wanted to know what it was so he could do it again. He had to know her answer.

"I sing," she finally said in a small quiet voice, her entire face turning red from the blood candies and the scent she gave off intensified.

Skoodge frowned. This was not what he had been expecting. "The mouth noises that are made during Christmas?"

"You mean Christmas songs?" Liz clarified and Skoodge nodded. "Sort of, I guess," she said and he became disappointed as the scent began to fade. "But I don't sing those songs. I find most of them annoying. Some I like to listen to, like _Silent Night, _and some of the more traditional songs. The cheesy Santa songs are fun to listen to like once, then I don't need to hear them for another year."

Skoodge thought a moment going though his PAK's memories. "All Christmas noises are about Santa."

"What?" Liz grew angry. "All the good Christmas songs were banned too? I know people don't sing or play any good music anymore and that all songs were forgotten but Christmas ones, but I can't believe they took away the only ones worth hearing."

"Sing this 'Silent Night'," Skoodge said curious as to how this Christmas song was different. Then that scent came back in full force.

_"__No_w?" Liz squeaked "No way!"

Skoodge became very interested in this. Something about this _singing_ was causing Liz to make the scent. Now he wanted to know what it was as he sensed it was different from the annoying noises humans made on Christmas. "Show me or I will not keep the information secret," he threatened and Liz became distraught.

"Skoodge! Come on, we're friends, allies, don't do this to me," she pleaded.

This only encouraged Skoodge, Liz was never this anxious. He had to know more about the singing secret. "I'm Irken. We don't have or need friends. Our alliance is based on information exchange, you need to give me an equally important piece of information."

"Skoodge!" Liz whined but he was set in his decision. She tugged on her braid and looked around the cafe as if the solution to her dilemma would suddenly pop up. Finally she sighed and turned her eyes back on him. "Look," she began placing her elbows on the table so she could lean forward and speak softer. "I would sing," her face flushed filling the air with that delicious scent again. "But I can't." At his disbelieving frown Liz sighed again and slumped a bit. "I can't sing in front of people. I can sing by myself or in front of animals and apparently robots," she mumbled the last. "But I freeze up and my throat closes when I try to sing for others. If I had my stuff I could play all kinds of song for you on my instruments, but not with my voice."

"Why do you react this way?" Skoodge asked.

"Because!" Liz threw her hands up in frustration that he wasn't understanding. "It's too embarrassing, okay?" At his confused look she continued to explain. "I'm afraid to. The fear of letting others hear me sing makes me unable to sing."

"Why?" Skoodge asked genuinely interested in understanding this newfound weakness of Liz's.

"I..." Liz trailed off as she thought about it. Any human would understand her, but she had to explain it to Skoodge in a way that would make sense to him. "When I sing, I put my feelings into the sound. It lets me express the deepest parts of myself, but it also makes me feel vulnerable. With my instruments I can express my emotions without feeling so exposed because the sound is coming from something else and not from me. It would be like..." Liz tried to think of a simile that Skoodge could relate to. "If you went to meet an enemy naked and without a weapon," she nodded to herself liking this simile a lot.

"It's not that you are afraid of being naked in general, but just in that context. Having my instruments to play with is like going to meet an enemy in a kick-ass battle suit with lasers and guns and all kinds of awesome weapons. No one cares if you're naked in the suit because they are too distracted by you kicking their ass. Do you get it?" Liz asked hopefully.

Skoodge nodded to show he understood her explanation, but that didn't mean he was giving up, he was an invader after all. "We are not enemies," he pointed out.

"True," Liz agreed. "But that doesn't matter, I don't want to feel exposed to anyone. Dib is family but he's never heard me sing."

"Has he seen you naked?" Skoodge asked thoughtfully.

"What? No," Liz laughed. "No way. I've never purposefully sang in front of anyone and the only person who has heard me sing was my brother and only because he was sneaky about it and was spying on me."

"Has he seen you naked?" Skoodge asked trying to understand the vulnerable feelings through the example she gave.

"Diz?" Liz said slowly thinking about it. "Maybe when I was a baby or really little."

"Would you sing to someone who saw you naked?" Skoodge asked.

"Well," Liz frowned in thought. "I suppose if I was comfortable enough to be completely naked in front of someone, I might feel comfortable enough to sing in front of them too, but the situation has never come up."

"If I see you naked will you sing for me?" Skoodge asked innocently, but completely serious.

Before Liz could answer a familiar manic laugh came from inside her pocket. Looking down in surprise Liz dug her phone out and stared disbelievingly at the caller ID as if the ringtone she had set for him wasn't enough to confirm who it was. She found the sound clip among Dib's recordings and thought it would be funny to have as a ringtone for him. However, Liz never expected him to actually call her. Accepting the call Liz answered tentatively. "Hello? Zim?"

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><p><strong>Isn't Skoodge crafty? :3 He is one of my favorite characters in case you can't tell by now lol. Next chapter will reveal a big secret about Liz's history. I've been dropping subtle hints about it. Wait until the next chapter to find out what it is. ;) <strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello. This chapter is a bit long, I had a hard time finding a good place to pause and still get everything in this chapter that I wanted. As promised secrets revealed! **

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><p><strong>To ngrey651: Yay! More love for Skoodge! About why Christmas songs were banned? Well, only <em>certain<em> ones were banned that had a particular context or made people feel a particular way. As to how they were able to do so...well , that will be explained further on. :) And yes it might have not seemed like it, but Liz was super pissed too, she just wasn't all that surprised at this point. **

**To Guest: Thanks! I'm glad you like Liz. :) **

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><p>Zim scowled at the computer screen hoping that by intimidating it the data would suddenly change, but it wasn't working. Both his and Skoodge's emotional filters were disintegrating at a HORRIBLE rate to the extent that they could experience almost all of those distracting feeling thingies. He couldn't afford to be distracted, he was an invader and only his mission should matter, but Zim had to admit that lately he had been not as invader-y as he should be. Oh he still rained DOOM upon the disgusting pig-smellies on this ball of dirt, oh the doom he rained. But he was more focused on just causing doom and not conquering, it had been this way for a while.<p>

If it hadn't been for the fact that the Massive was having communication problems then he was sure the Tallest would be disappointed in him. As it was it has been over a year since he last heard from them and thanks to his disgusting emotions he was hesitant to call and see if the problem had been fixed. Not only about his lack of progress but because he didn't want the Tallest to find out that he had been... altering the data from his and Skoodge's PAKs that were sent to the control brains.

It would be an absolute disgrace if the control brains found out about their failing emotional filters and Zim still hadn't figured out the purpose of the taller chemical their PAKs were releasing into their system. The last thing he wanted was for him and Skoodge to be recalled to the Massive to fix their PAKs because then they would find out he had been... withholding the information about their increased height.

Once Zim had begun to grow he had proudly told his Tallest and they did not reacted how he expected. They had grown suspicious of innocent Zim and wanted him to send his PAK's information, which he did, but still his Tallest were not pleased by his slight increase.

Zim had come to the conclusion that his Tallest were SO pleased and SO impressed by his INCREDIBLE awesomeness that it was overloading their PAKs. The last thing Zim wanted was to cause his Tallest any harm so from then on he altered the data sent back and the image he projected when he called them so that they didn't see that he was growing even taller. He did the same with Skoodge's data. Even though it was just Skoodge he knew his Tallest would be too proud as Zim's presence was obviously making Skoodge become more amazing as well.

He didn't want the Tallest sending him more short Irkens in hopes that Zim's AMAZINGNESS would rub off on them. He was afraid they might try to take over his dangerous and important mission. Skoodge was not a threat to his mission, Zim trusted Skoodge and he was helpful in keeping the base clean from GIR's waves of destruction.

Thinking of GIR reminded Zim that the little SIR unit had been less destructive lately. Usually after Hi-Skool Zim would come back to the base in some horrible state from GIR's shenanigans and he and Skoodge would have to clean up his mess before Zim could work on his next project of DOOM. However, lately GIR and Mini Moose must have found something to occupy their time during the week which caused them to cause mayhem elsewhere that Zim did not have to clean up. He was of course pleased as it gave him more time to focus on his work, but he was curious as to what they were doing during the week. On the weekends they were just as troublesome as before and Zim had to send them off to get tacos to keep them occupied.

But there was no time for questioning GIR, he had to go check on the mutant flower monsters he planted in the park. "COMPUTER!" Zim boomed. "Tell Skoodge to meet me by the Voot Cruiser."

"**Uhh, Skoodge left**," the computer replied.

"Left? Left where? _Tell me."_

"**He left to meet the human named Liz**."

"Ugh, he probably went to that horrible human shop again. It's always full of _humans. _I don't know how he can stand being around them for so long. But he is gathering information for _Zim,_ I suppose he is doing what he can." Zim marched over to the elevator. "_COMPUTER_, take me to the Voot Cruiser." The elevator lurched upwards and stopped at the Voot's storage area. Inside GIR and Mini Moose were dancing as GIR made sounds into a loose metal cord.

As soon as they saw Zim enter GIR squealed and ran over to him. "Master! Master! Look what I can do!" he said then started to dance moving his arms up and down slowly as he moved his torso slowly side to side. "_I saw the sign, it opened up my eyes I saw the sign!_" he sang in his high pitched voice.

"Yes, yes, very nice," Zim dismissed him. "Now come, GIR, Mini Moose, we must go to the park!" Zim used his spider legs to crawl into the open cockpit of the Voot. On the ship's display screen there was a pop up that read: system update 43% completed. Zim scowled he had forgotten about that.

"Computer, how much longer for the update to complete?"

"**It's been on 43% for two hours**," the computer replied uninterested. As it spoke the bar jumped to 58% completed and Zim's antennae shot up in pleasant surprise then it went down to 23%.

"_Nooooooo_!" Zim cried out in angry anguish. "Ah, oh well." He hopped out of the Voot. "We shall walk to the park!" He announced and attached a leash to GIR's collar then dragged his robot slave out of the house and down the street to the park with Mini Moose hovering behind them. As GIR was dragged along he grinned and waved both hands at all the people they passed while Zim whistled innocently towards the center and less trafficked area of the park.

Behind a clump of bushes and hidden behind some trees he found his latest creation growing to its full dooming potential. The small squirrel-eating flower monster he sent a picture of to Liz was now a large man-eating flower monster. Zim thought of the look on Dib's face when he unleashed his flower monster upon the skool and he began to laugh just imagining it. GIR and Mini Moose laughed with him until a butterfly fluttered past completely distracting the little robot into chasing it and in turn making Mini Moose follow as he had designated himself as GIR's watcher.

The dormant, semi-sleeping flower stirred when its sensitive petals picked up the vibrations from Zim's laughing. It hadn't eaten anything since it had grown to its new size and thus had gone into a hibernating state. Sensing something much larger than the small not-worth-eating creatures, it quickly worked up a large amount of its digestive juices and using its reserved energy lurched forward to clamp onto the large prey with its massive mouth.

Zim screeched in surprise then in pain as the flower tried to digest him. "IT BUUUUUURNS!" He screamed as he flailed around inside the monster's massive mouth, until the flower had enough and let the uncooperative meal drop to the ground in a goopy mess.

Zim crawled painfully away from the flower monster and took refuge under a bush then desperately tried to wipe the burning goop from his body. The digestive juices dissolved most of his clothes and his disguise was lost somewhere in the monster's belly. However his superior Irken skin was a lot tougher than mere flesh and he managed to escape with minor burns that would heal quickly. This was only a minor set back.

"GIR, Mini Moose," Zim hissed from the bush mindful of the increased number of humans in the park from some human event going on in the open field. However his slaves were no where to be seen. He would have to call for them. "Eh?" Zim said when his PAK didn't open at his thought provoked command. He checked behind him and found that the flower's goop had hardened when it came into contact with the metal of his PAK effectively sealing it. He would need to get back to the base to chisel it off.

Panic began to set in as he sank down to the ground under the bush. He had no disguise and there was little left of his invader uniform. He had no way to contact his robot slaves or Skoodge without use of his PAK, and no form of defense should the humans discover him. Sitting with his arms curled around his exposed legs he felt something dig into him. It was the cellphone the Liz-human made him and Skoodge buy.

"Victory for Zim!" He cried pulling it out and seeing that it was undamaged. When buying them Liz had insisted they upgrade to the indestructible model pointing out that he destroyed a bunch of stuff when fighting Dib and he needed a phone that was superior in durability, like him. Zim couldn't argue with that logic and had gone with the upgrade.

Opening his contact list he felt his victory smile fade as he only had one contact listed. True Skoodge had a phone as well but Zim didn't see the point of adding his number in as he could directly communicate with Skoodge using his PAK. Zim stared at the only contact in his list for a long time. But his situation wasn't getting any better, in fact more humans were coming to the park to lay blankets out. It was only a matter of time before they found him.

Hating every second of it, he tapped the 'call' button with his bare three-fingered hand, his gloves also having dissolved. Impatiently he pressed the phone against the skin on the side of his head which protected his internal hearing sensors. Stupid humans and their ears.

"Hello? Zim?" Liz's uncertain voice answered.

"Liz-human! You will give the phone to Skoodge. I have a _mighty_ _need_ to speak to him!" Zim demanded.

There was a moment of silence. "Not with that attitude," she responded her voice rich with amusement. "Where is my 'hello Liz, how are you?'"

Zim growled into the phone but seeing no other option spat out, "Hello disgusting human-filth, Liz, how are you?"

"I'm doing great, Zim," she responded cheerfully ignoring the insults. "I'm at a cafe with Skoodge. How are you?"

"Zim is DOOMED!" He angrily yelled into the phone. "The flower monster ate my disguise and now I'm trapped under a bush surrounded by pig-smellies!" He said then immediately clamped a claw over his mouth as several humans looked towards his hiding spot. "I mean... I'm just a bush. Ignore me. I'M NORMAL!"

Several humans shrugged and went back to their picnic.

"Where are you?" Liz asked her cheerful voice more serious. "We'll come get you."

"I'm at the center of the park. But Zim needs no help from a human! Just send Skoodge."

"Nope," Liz replied cheerful again. "My phone, my rescue mission, we'll see you soon," she said then hung up.

He stared at the phone scowling, but nothing changed about the situation. Shivering, cold without his uniform, Zim curled up under the bush and waited for Skoodge and Liz to come find him. Some time passed before he heard the female human call his name as she roamed the park. He rolled over and pushed aside part of the bush so he could call out to her, but his words caught in his throat when he saw that she was flanked by two men in suits. She had betrayed him! Outraged and letting his anger take the best of him he stood up and pointed at her completely exposing him from the shoulders and up.

"LIAR!" he screamed at her turning all three human's attention to him as well as a few of the humans wandering around. Noticing the eyes on him Zim ducked back into the bush with a terrified scream of "OH NOOOO!" He missed seeing Liz smack her forehead at his antics and she told the men following her to take care of the gawking humans whom had just seen an alien pop out of the bushes.

The two men went over and began shooing away the other people making up whatever excuse came to mind. Meanwhile Zim scooted back into the bush as close to the flower monster as he could without being in its range. If he had been able to access his PAK he would have stabbed the horrible lying human right into her horrible, lumpy female chest.

"Zim?" Liz called nearing the bush. He heard her rustle around in it trying to find him. "Seriously, Zim you aren't making this any easier."

"Did you think it would be easy to catch an Irken Elite?" Zim boasted from his hiding place in the bush ready to fight for all he was worth. His self destruct device was at the base, he would have to fight his way out. But self-destruction was the only way, the mission was completely compromised. "I won't let you get your hands on my delicious blood candies."

"What?" Liz's rustling stopped in surprise. There was a slight pause then, "Oh!" she said in understanding and chuckled. "Zim, those men aren't with the government, far from it. I wasn't sure what kind of trouble you were going to be in so I brought some insurance with me. They're going to give us a ride," she explained as she shifted the foliage around. Finally, she pushed back the right clump of leaves and spotted him. "Damn, what happened to you? You're practically naked. You are so lucky I was with Skoodge and not Dib."

"Eh?" Zim said confused but he didn't move. Liz motioned at one of the men and he came over with a blanket as Zim shrunk back. She held it out to him but he just scowled at her.

"Stop being a baby, Zim," she scowled when he refused to take it.

"Zim is no smeet!" he protested. "An invader needs no one. Take your filthy Earth men and leave."

"Oh? You don't want my help?" She said then gave him a wicked grin. "Weeeeeell, then I see no reason why I can't inform Dib of where you are and what state you're in. I'm sure he'd _looooove_ to see the mighty Irken cowering under a bush. Also there isn't much left of your shorts."

"LIES!" Zim screeched snatching the blanket from her and wrapping it around him and covering his head.

"Great," Liz said and grabbing his arm through the blanket and yanking him out of the bushes. He yelped and focused on keeping himself covered as she dragged him down the park's path. Flanked by the two men in suits he became increasingly nervous. Parked at the entrance was a black Earth vehicle with tinted windows. One of the men rushed forward to open the door and Liz pushed him into the vehicle and crawled in behind him. The two men then went to sit in the front seats.

"Zim!" the familiar voice of Skoodge said sounding relieved. He sat in the back seat but his face wasn't very reassuring as the other Irken was very nervous as well.

"Skoodge, what is going on?" Zim demanded to know.

"What's going on," Liz answered for Skoodge as she leaned with her back against the front seats to look at the two Irken, "It that I just saved you." She grinned devilishly at him. "So what happened? Why the lack of clothes?"

"A minor set back with the flower monster," Zim said offhandedly. "I have proper clothes at the base. I demand that you take me back to the base human."

"No way, I'm not letting this chance pass me by. I'm taking you to get some proper clothes. When I'm done, humans will be falling at your feet in surrender."

Zim squinted one eye at her, intrigued but still not trusting her. They soon arrived at what looked to be a human shop along one of the less busy streets, but the building was still well maintained. The men in front got out and opened the doors for the middle and back seats. The two Irkens crawled out and Skoodge stood protectively next to the blanket shrouded Zim. Liz had promised them in the car that nothing bad would happen and that they were completely safe, but the other humans were still unnerving to them.

Liz was helped out of the vehicle by one of the men whom offered his hand for her, even though both Irkens knew she didn't need it to exit the Earth vehicle. She ushered the two into the empty shop and when the door opened a little bell sounded. A tall, tanned and dark-haired human adult male came out and seeing Liz smiled widely.

"Miss Liz!" he said taking her hand and placing his lips on the back of it. Skoodge eyed the new human wearily. "It is an honor and privilege to see you again. Are these the two gentlemen you mentioned on the phone?" he asked peering around her to eye the green fellow and blanket covered one, he couldn't even see the second fellow's eyes in the shadow the blanket over his head cast.

"Yes, these two are my associates and _family_ friends," Liz said emphasizing the word 'family'.

"Oh?" the dark-haired man seemed to grow excited. "I would be happy to be of service," he nodded to them. "What do the gentleman require?" he asked Liz.

"Some causal attire, I think," Liz said turning her attention back to the two. "For him," she pointed to Zim. "We'll just find something you have in stock and if you could do some slight alterations on the spot that would be most appreciated. Unfortunately, he's had a wardrobe malfunction and is well," she gestured to Zim. "He'll probably need a full outfit.

"As for him," Liz gestured to Skoodge, "If we can find something in-store as well that would be optimal, but not necessary as his will need alterations as well to fit their particular needs. You see," Liz directed her attention back to the store owner. "I couldn't take them to just _any _shop. I wanted something of quality as well as service that could be _discreet. _Like in the old times, hm?" she winked at the owner who was trying to hide his excitement.

"Of course, of course! Ever since I was a boy I dreamed of tailoring for individuals of your stature just like my ancestors did. However, I never in my wildest dreams thought I could tailor for the _same _individual as my ancestors," he beamed barely able to keep his excited hands from flapping around.

During this exchange the two Irkens gave each other confused looks. Seeing their faces Liz turned her attention back to them. "The cafe Skoodge and I go to was open three hundred years ago so I looked around to see it any other shops were still in business and I came across this place. Giovanni, here, inherited a shop my family used to frequent, in fact we were one of the first customers of this established and famous shop. It was a real treat finding it," she winked at the shop owner who looked close to fainting.

Skoodge narrowed his eyes at the Giovanni-human, and he wasn't sure why but he instantly disliked this human.

"So!" Liz said cheerfully clapping her hands together and turning to Zim with an almost predatory smile. "Drop the blanket. Giovanni, needs to measure you."

Zim held the blanket tighter and vigorously shook his head and Skoodge scooted a little closer.

Liz rolled her eyes. "Fine then, Skoodge you'll go first," she grabbed his hand and tried to pull him forward but he switched his stance so he wouldn't budge. "What?" she raised an eyebrow at his refusal.

"We do not need anything from this human. Just bring us back to the base," Skoodge said sternly. "Zim has another uniform there."

Liz narrowed her eyes at Skoodge, not liking his blatant refusal. "Yes, you do need something. You need another outfit. You two wear the same shit every single day and I'm tired of looking at your silly uniforms," before either one could balk at her opinion of their invader garb she continued. "It might have been normal and proper in your _country_," Liz said purposefully saying 'country' instead of planet. "But here you need a better outfit to blend in, or better yet, to stand out."

"I do not stand out," Zim said. "I am normal. NORMAL!" he said raising his green fists in the air but still managing to keep the blanket on his head.

Liz stormed over to Zim and placing her hands on her hips used her few inches to stare Zim down. "_Normal_ people won't be able to rule anything." She leaned back giving him a bit more room. "We have a phrase here, 'the clothes make the man', it means that if you want to be an all-powerful ruler you have to _look_ like a all-powerful ruler." She paused and appeared to be debating something with herself. After a moment she seemed to come to a conclusion. "Also, if you get the clothes I'll tell you a secret."

"Secret?" Zim said his attention immediately caught. "Is it the secret to conquering the humans? Tell me, _tell meeeee_," he demanded.

"No, its not a secret on how to conquer humans, but it _is_ a secret about myself and will prove to you that you can trust me in this, that I won't turn you over to the authorities." Liz said.

"I demand to know this secret!" Zim said.

"I'll tell you both only after you've been measured, and don't worry I already explained to them about your unique looks. I told them that you look the way you do because of what your government has done to you," she said and winked at Skoodge.

"It is terrible what the government thinks they can get away with," Giovanni said with sympathetic anger. "Fear not, I am the sole example of secrecy and my men won't breathe a word of this encounter to anyone."

"Yes, and should you speak I will rain DOOM upon you, oh such doom will I rain!" Zim said still managing to sound menacing even though he was covered in a blanket.

When neither of them moved closer to get measured, Giovanni spoke up before Liz could. "Perhaps your friends' minds would be put at ease if they saw what a finished product looked like?" he suggested. "I have your order completed."

"What?" Liz spun around to face Giovanni her eyes all lit up. "Really?"

"Yes, one moment," he said and went out back to retrieve her order.

Zim watched as the human did a little happy dance hopping back and forth from foot to foot and clapping her hands quietly. When the clothing slave came back he presented a long black bag to Liz. With an excited squeal she brought the bag with her behind a curtain. Zim and Skoodge went over to the small seating area by the curtain so they were a little farther away from the suspicious humans. They heard Liz rustle around behind the curtain making little excited sounds. Skoodge frowned at the curtain and while his squeedlyspooch flipped when his antenna picked up her happy scent, he felt uneasy and almost angry at Giovanni. He knew that he did not like this human and he felt strange emotions towards the human, but he didn't know what they were.

The curtain was suddenly and dramatically pushed aside to reveal Liz. She stood leaning her weight on one foot, the other pointed out to the side, one hand on her hip and the other wrapped in the curtain's fabric above her head. While the pose matched the scent she was giving off, which was full of confidence and power, it was her clothing that had Skoodge's antennae bumping up against his wig.

On her head she wore a small brimmed black hat that dipped at the top, she had the hat tilted to almost cover one eye. Her shirt was button-down and a soft shade of green similar to the color of his and Zim's skin. Over the shirt she wore a tight black and white stripped vest, the neckline coming down in a low wide U shape with small silver buttons in four rows down her stomach. As his eyes trailed down Skoodge took in the short black and white stripped shirt folded along the edges to puff out a bit at her thighs. The skirt was also adorned with two rows of silver buttons along the front.

Just below the skirt began tight black boots and at the ankles were silver buckles to match the silver buttons. The heels of the boots were raised up by thin points making Liz a few inches taller. Staring at the shoes Skoodge finally connected how on some days she had appeared taller, he had never thought to check to see if her shoes gave her added height.

Walking in a very distinct way that rolled her hips provocatively, Liz sauntered over to the mirrors where she could get a better look at how her new outfit fit. She turn this was and that, checking out all the angles. Experimentally, she raised her arms to cradle her head testing the flexibility of her clothes. She stood on one foot tucking the other up then repeated the process on with the other foot to see how flexible the tight fitting boots were. She was not disappointed, everything fit like a glove and had style, comfort, and sass all in one.

"Giovanni, I absolutely love it," Liz said unable to take her eyes off the mirror as she did her inspection. "The boots fit like a glove and they make my ass look amazing," she said checking out her posterior and in the process drawing one Irken's attention to it as well, the other Irken hadn't taken his eyes off her boots.

"I have a _MIGHTY NEED_ for weapon boots like those!" Zim said pointing to the spiked up heels, amazed that humans had created something that could be a weapon, but also something that made them taller too.

Liz shifted her weight to one hip as she studied the blanketed Irken. Meanwhile, Skoodge's attention was drawn to her ever shifting hips. "Hmm," she said thoughtfully tilting her head. "Something with heels would work on you, but maybe not stilettos, a cuban heel would be better I think. You have a unique foot shape so you might have to wait if you want a particular styled boot, but Giovanni would know better after getting your measurements," Liz said and approached Zim slowly, like she was stalking prey.

Sensing the change Zim clutched the blanket tighter and narrowed his eyes at her, though he knew she couldn't see them from under the shadows. When she was standing just in front of him she removed her hat and held it out. "Here, if you're that nervous about your appearance wear this," she said in a hushed voice then turned to Giovanni. "Do you have any sunglasses—goggles," she corrected herself remembering Zim's lack of ears. "His eyes are sensitive to the light."

"Actually, yes I do," he said going behind the counter. "I started stocking these for my more active clients," he said presenting a pair of black lenses goggles designed to resemble sleek sunglasses.

"Oooo, perfect," Liz said passing the goggles to Zim, who placed both hat and goggles on his head. After hiding his antenna and eyes and he felt much better. "Now, lets drop this shall we," Liz pinched the blanket between her fingers.

"I don't need your Earth clothes," Zim protested still reluctant to be so exposed to so many humans.

"Shy?" Liz teased him. "Giovanni, maybe there can be less of an audience?"

"Of course," the shop owner said and waved at the two men in suits to leave. They nodded and went back out the front door and flipped over the sign to closed as they left so no one else would enter.

While Zim was distracted watching the men in suits leave Liz grabbed a firm hold of the blanket and yanked. Zim scrambled to keep the hat on his head and in turn released his hold on his cover.

"Oh my," Liz said with a grin. "Zim, your pants have turned into hot pants," she snickered at what was left of his invader uniform. Then she took in the various burn marks and her teasing attitude dropped. "You're hurt," she came closer to inspect his wounds but Zim stepped away.

"I don't need your concern worm-baby. My superior Irken body will heal soon," Zim said proud that he could ignore pain so well.

"Okay, good, but we should at least clean your wounds," Liz insisted. "Giovanni, do you have a first aid kit?"

"Yes, of course behind the counter," he answered.

"Good," Liz waved him aside when he made to go get it. "I'll dig out the kit and ready it, you start measuring." she instructed as she stepped behind the counter to look for the kit.

The clothing-slave nodded and stepped towards Zim with a yellow rope in his hands. Zim jumped back out of reach and Skoodge came to stand beside him. "LIES! You just want to capture Zim!"

"Calm down," Liz said placing the kit on the counter. "He's just going to measure you to find something in your size. Just let him do his job, unless, of course, you are afraid," Liz taunted him. "Would you like me to come over there and hold your hand while the big scary human holds his measuring tape up against you?" she said in a mocking voice.

Zim crossed his arms across his chest and glared at Liz. He then dramatically pointed at her. "LIES! I am fearless. I am ZIM!" he said raising his fist up then lowered it calmly. "Do your worst clothing-slave," he said to Giovanni who nodded un-phased by the name calling and began taking the measurements he needed. However, when he came across the PAK he paused.

"Is this removable?"

"Yeah," Liz said laying out the supplies she thought Zim's skin could handle. She tested it first on herself knowing that they were as sensitive to chemicals as she was. "For a short time, right? It's like a life support system," she added for Giovanni's benefit. "Take it off so he can measure where to make the alterations you'll need."

The two Irkens stared at her completely aghast. No Irken removed their PAK in front of others, especially potential enemies. She rolled her eyes at them. "Unless you want to leave here looking like a hunchback, just do it. It won't take more than thirty seconds, and if he tries anything Skoodge can kill him," she said so nonchalantly that Giovanni gave her a nervous glance.

"I-I assure you, I won't even touch your back," he said to the second green-skinned teen.

Zim looked to Skoodge who nodded, indicating that the human would most certainly be dead if he touched Zim. Not liking this one bit, but seeing no alternative and just a little bit curious if Liz would let them kill the human, Zim hit the release button on his PAK and he caught it before it could hit the ground. The human quickly made his measurements of the two connector ports in Zim's back then quickly stepped away. He scribbled down on a notepad and nodded to himself.

"I have an outfit in mind that will fit nicely with few adjustments, and I believe it will gain your approval Miss Liz," Giovanni said. "Now for the second gentleman?" he held his measuring tape out as a gesture for Zim to step back and Skoodge to come forward.

"Sit," Liz said to Zim and pointed to one of two chairs nearby, a few medical supplies in her hands. "I'll clean your wounds, I wouldn't let someone so superior clean his own wounds," she said to ensure no argument would be made.

It only took a moment for Zim to comply. He was superior after all and couldn't argue with her logic. She took his hand and dabbed at a small section on the back of his hand then paused to study it.

"As amazing as Zim's hands are, what are you doing?" he asked as his hand wasn't in need of medical assistance.

"I'm checking," she said still intently staring at the back of his hand, "to see if you will have any allergic reaction to the medical supplies. I thought it best to test it on your hand before I applied it to your open wounds. But it looks like this will work fine. I thought as much as I tested it on myself first and my skin is as sensitive to chemicals as yours and Skoodge's."

"Irkens aren't _sensitive_," Zim hissed the word distastefully as it made him sound weak. "This planet is just a filthy dirt ball."

"True," Liz agreed catching the Irken off-guard.

"You dare agree with—AH! IT BURNS!" Zim screeched as the failure of a medical drone began rubbing the small white cloth over his wounds. Skoodge took a step towards them in concern but stopped and stared when Liz placed a hand on Zim's thigh in effort to keep him seated.

"Calm down, you baby—smeet," she corrected herself. "It's supposed to sting a little. It's killing the germs."

Zim shuddered at the mention of germs and calmed down a little, knowing that the horrible Earth medical equipment was killing his most disgusting enemy. He then remembered what Liz had called him and glared at her behind his goggles. "I am no smeet."

"Yeah, how old are you then?" she asked distracting him as she continued cleaning his arm, but she left her hand on his leg should he try to leap up again.

"Close to two-hundred Earth years," Zim said smugly.

"Well," Liz leaned back to grin at him. "I turn three-hundred and eighteen this Friday, so that makes me taller _and_ older than you. My seniority outranks yours, so be a good little smeet, Zim, and try not to flail around while I clean your chest."

"Lies!" Zim said. "No dirty monkey would ever outrank Zim!"

Liz crossed her arms and gave him her best stern look. "If you keep insulting me I won't help you, nor will I tell you my secret."

"I demand you tell me your secrets!" Zim said forgetting about that entirely.

"After, now stop squirming. I find it hard to believe that a mighty Irken solider can't sit and take a little pain without flipping out."

"I am not afraid of pain, _little _Earth monkey," Zim scowled. "Do your worst," he challenged and sat still in his seat.

"Will do!" Liz said cheerfully and scooted closer so she could finish cleaning the marks on his arms and move onto his chest. Even though Zim had dared her, she was very light in touch against his wounds and carefully cleaned the dirt and grime off his skin. The little bit of hair humans had above their eyes called eyebrows knitted together and the tip of her wide flat tongue slipped out between her lips as she worked on his chest. With her face like that she looked a lot like the Dib, as Zim had seen him do the same thing when he took tests. In fact, if Zim squinted behind the goggles it almost looked like Dib was the one leaning forward, head bowed to tend to Zim.

The visual had him grinning, he liked that idea very much. The Dib bowing to his superior, his nimble fingers tending to Zim's superior skin, lightly touching Zim's chest, abdomen, legs. Yes, the Dib would do well serving him, submitting to him. And there was one thing Zim had always wanted to do, slowly reaching out with his ungloved claw-like finger he poked the tongue. It slipped back between the two lips and Zim scowled. How _dare _his Dib-slave hide what he wanted from him.

Zim in his semi-delusional state grabbed the face in front of him his clawed hand clenched under the human's jaw with two of his three fingers digging into the human's cheek to keep the mouth from closing. It didn't matter that he didn't really _want_ the human's tongue, what was important was that the human had tried to hide it from him, the human disobeyed him and Zim would not tolerate this. He would show the human who was the master here even if he had to grab the human's tongue with his own mouth, _that _would certainly get his point across.

However, as he leaned forward to show the rebellious human who was in charge a gloved hand clamped over his mouth, an Irken hand. Startled out of his thoughts Zim blinked behind the goggles and turned to find the owner of the hand to be a narrow-eyed Skoodge.

"What were you going to do to Liz?" Skoodge asked sounding both angry and confused as he removed his hand from Zim's mouth.

"The Liz-human?" Zim asked confused himself, he had no interest in the Liz-human. "I have no interest in the Liz-human," he said to Skoodge.

"-hen can -ou -et go?" Liz asked as Zim had a firm grip on her face, squishing her cheeks.

Zim immediately let go when he realized that it was the Liz-human he had in his grip. When had that happened? All he had been doing was thinking about making the Dib his slave. Zim blinked again and watched as the Liz-human rotated her jaw and rubbed at her sore cheeks. Her yellow eyes watching him curiously. Dib had the same eyes. In that instant Zim realized his blunder and felt his face warm as his blood candies rushed to his face. How could he have mistaken the fleshy human female for his enemy?

"What was that all about?" Liz wanted to know.

"Nothing!" Zim protested loudly. "I was not thinking of the Dib-human!"

"Oh?" Liz said and Zim did not like the way she spoke that word, nor the sly grin on her face. "What kind of thing were you not thinking of doing to Dib?"

"It's all lies!" Zim continued completely flustered. "I want nothing to do with the Dib-stink's fleshy tongue!"

Enjoying Zim's reaction, but not wanting to get him too worked up in public or before Giovanni could come back with the suits, Liz decided to humor the clueless alien. "Okay, okay," she held up her hands defensively and leaned back in her seat. "I believe you. You weren't thinking anything about Dib. So," Liz tilted her head to look up at Skoodge. "I take it you're done with the measurements as I don't see Giovanni anymore."

"Yes," Skoodge said slowly still not sure why he had moved to stop Zim from whatever he was going to do. He still didn't know why he was feeling the way he was or what exactly he was feeling, but it was a little like when the Tallest told him to climb into the ground sweeping cannon.

"Well, then have a seat," she pointed to the chair next to Zim. "While we wait I'll tell you that secret I promised."

Zim immediately forgot about what had just happened and leaned forward to better hear about the secret. Skoodge sat next to him and Liz uncrossed her legs then recrossed them the opposite way in such a manner that drew Skoodge's attention to the section of skin showing between where the boots stopped and her skirt began. Zim, however, was intently staring at Liz's face waiting for the secret to be told.

"The Membrane Family—how should I put this?" Liz bounced her leg a little as she thought, fully aware of where Skoodge's eyes were wandering. "Well, let's just say science wasn't their original interest. In fact it wasn't until my brother took a serious interest in the topic that a member of our family was focused on anything else besides...well... the Family."

"Eh?" Zim said showing his confusion.

Liz stretched her legs out a little and seemingly-absentmindedly rubbed one booted leg against the other as she switched her legs once again. She was thinking of what to say and how to explain it to them as she was sure they hadn't heard many of the old Earth terms. "Let me explain first what I mean by 'family'. There was my family members, my parents, grandmother, my brother and various relatives, then there was the Family. The Family was a business, a group of individuals that worked for, swore loyalty to, and in turn were protected by my family members. My grandmother was the head of the family, nothing was done without her approval, however when I was eight she died in an accident and my mother took over."

"What business did she run?" Skoodge asked finally looking away from the lower half of Liz's body to meet her eyes, curious by her avoidance of telling them.

"We owned a few casinos—betting parlors and such—and we transported and sold particular items that weren't sold in your average stores. We also had individuals with a unique skill set that others could hire to take care of their specific needs, on various levels. Though after my mother took over she really specialized that area of our business to only hire the most skilled and highly trained professionals whom could take care of both specific jobs." Liz said choosing her words carefully. "But mostly we sold protection."

"From what?" Skoodge asked again.

Liz grinned wickedly, "from demons and ourselves."

"Demons?" Zim repeated thoughtful. "I fought a hideous ham-demon once."

"Ew, a ham-demon?" Liz made a disgusted face. "Ugh, I don't want to know how that came into existence."

"What do you mean?" Skoodge asked as Zim was still reflecting on his epic battle with the ham-demon.

"Well, a demon's genes can pretty much fuse with anything, but in order for that to happen...oh, gross, ack," Liz held her palms up to her eyes. "Ugh, I just imagined it. I can never un-think that. Oh quick, let's change the topic. Um, so one job of the Family business was to fight or more accurately exorcise demons, spirits and the like," Liz continued and removed her hands from her eyes, blinked a few times then continued. "However, we weren't running a charity and such services weren't cheap."

Skoodge nodded understanding that concept. "How did you protect others from yourself?"

Uncrossing her legs again she leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees as she propped up her chin on the back of her hands. "We settled in on an area, received money from the local businesses by having them supply us with a small protection fee. The fee made sure no demons, family members or rivaling Families would bother their business. If they didn't pay...well, let's just say getting rid of demons wasn't all my Family did. And those who didn't pay might find their businesses not so demon free," Liz grinned wickedly.

Skoodge swallowed and feeling nervous changed the topic. "What items did you transport?"

"Oh, goods that weren't allowed to be sold by law, like weapons and other unique commodities. However," Liz straightened proudly, and Zim finally found his focus back on the conversation again at the mention of weapons. "We never trafficked drugs or people. Nor did we threaten anyone's home or family, just businesses. And all those who worked for us worked for us out of respect, loyalty, or fear, but never because of a lack of choice. Though some might argue that join, pay or suffer isn't much of a choice," Liz shrugged. "But even then it wasn't like we expected those under us to not have any kind of life. We respected that our members could have lives of their own as long as it didn't affect or interfere with the Family's business."

"You were criminals!" Zim accused in surprise.

"Classy criminals," Liz added. "Commonly known on Earth as the Mafia."

"What did the professionals with the skills do?" Skoodge asked.

Liz grinned knowingly at him. "Well, part of their job that my mother stopped I don't think you would understand, but she trained them to be spies and assassins and some of them would accomplish their jobs using the same skill set their previous jobs entailed."

"What skills did they possess?" Zim asked. "Were they used to take over other humans?"

Liz laughed. "Oh yeah, the skills they used could easily be used to conquer and control other humans, but even if I told you what they were you probably wouldn't understand. Not yet anyway."

"Eh? What could a Earth-monkey possibly know that the _amazing_ Zim could not understand?" Zim argued.

"When you can tell me what you were thinking when you grabbed my face and why you wanted to do it, then I'll tell you," Liz countered.

"What about me?" Skoodge asked.

"You?" Liz regarded Skoodge. "Can you tell me why you stopped Zim? When you can I'll explain it to you."

The two Irkens sat and pouted, upset that she wasn't giving them the information they wanted. If they admitted they didn't know the reasons for their own actions it would make them look bad, but neither could they tell her the answers she was looking for. Zim was particularly upset as this one piece of information was necessary to his mission and he would have to do some research in order to get the information from the Liz-human. He could always torture it out of her or use his brain sucking knowledge machine, but doing that would be admitting to the Liz-human that he didn't know the reasons for his own actions and that would make him look less superior than he was.

"Another fun fact," Liz began seeing that her two companions were getting grumpy. "Is that I was next in line to take over the Family business." That bit of information had the two perking up again. "But pretty early on I decided I didn't want to take over."

"Eh?" Zim said in surprise. "Why would you not want to be supreme ruler of all humans?"

"Because," Liz rolled her eyes to the side and leaned back in her chair. "Leaders, real leaders, have no freedom. A leader can't just do whatever they want when they want, they have to think about the good of the Family. There are also Family meetings, consults, business meetings, inspections, meditations, exorcisms, summonings, appearances and generally making sure things works and go as planned. My mother did all of that and even with my father as her right-hand man she was half-insane all the time and rarely home. The insanity part worked somewhat in her favor as not many people would want to piss her off, but that isn't any way to live, or a way that I wanted to live. I want to be able to make my own decisions and do what I want to do and go where I want to go when I want to go. But, that doesn't matter anymore because there is no more Family," she said the last a little sad.

"Why?" Skoodge asked. "What happened? Why is Dib-human not a criminal?"

"After we found out about my disease the Family had no choice but to choose a different heir much to their disappointment. I would never have left the Family otherwise, I loved the excitement and danger of it, I just never wanted to have that take over my entire life. I would want time for myself too. But, anyway, a different family member was chosen to take over. Dizzy also had no interest in the Family business, especially anything having to do with demons, so he wasn't too upset when he had to leave the Family to help take care of me. My best guess as to what happened?" Liz mused thoughtfully.

"I think they all turned stupid. It takes a smart leader to control a Mafia family. They have to be charismatic, smart, quick-witted, cunning, and business savvy, not to mention gifted with the supernatural, if not the Family won't last. I've heard of other Families dying out because they put their moronic talentless sons in charge. My grandmother knew right away that a female was best suited to lead the Membrane Family, and the successor chosen to replace me was a very talented female as well. However, the people today are too stupid, male or female, to lead themselves out of a paper bag much less lead an entire Family. Giovanni wasn't sure when the Family fell apart completely but from the stories he thinks it was two or three generations after I was frozen. Sad really," Liz said becoming a little melancholy.

"What was your mission if you were to not lead?" Skoodge asked.

"What would I want to do in the Family business?" Liz reframed the question and waited for Skoodge's nod to confirm it. "Well," Liz recrossed her legs again and looked up at the ceiling as she thought. "I have a good knack for string instruments, so I toyed with the idea of playing in one of the casinos, but that would have only been a side thing. I was taught the basic skills necessary to survive in our world, but I never received any official training in one job or another, as I wasn't old enough," Liz said with a pout. "And my potential as an exorcist was never tapped, or more accurately was cut off when I stepped down as successor, so demon hunting wouldn't be something I could have done either."

"But I've picked up a few skills here and there. Dizzy taught me a bunch too. From what I've done so far I can probably say I'd want to be a front-man, an instigator for the Family. Going into any situation, kicking ass and taking names. Though I liked the branch my mother set up, being a sexy spy, espionage, being all stealth and silencers; a really romantic job if you think about it." She looked back to the two of them and turned thoughtful. "Not all that different from what you do, I suppose. Maybe that's why I like you guys so much," Liz waved her hand in the air. "Nostalgia and all that. Now you guys can see why I would never turn you over to the police or government. I have no love for the government as they were somewhat like my Family's enemy, demons and all that."

Zim grunted in dissatisfaction. "This secret is dookie, Zim cares not for your human past. Why bother telling me this nonsense?" Zim said grumpily, if he had known that this was the big secret, that the Liz-human's parental units were criminals then he wouldn't have stayed. At this point, he had completely forgotten that he was here to get new clothes to help fit in with the humans better.

"Nonsense, huh?" Liz said quietly feeling more than a little hurt. She had hoped that telling them would...she didn't know, make them like her a little better? She genuinely liked talking with both Skoodge and Zim and thought that telling them that she wasn't much different from them would get them to loosen up a little and be more willing to call her a friend. She glanced at Skoodge to see his reaction, he was frowning and seemingly deep in thought. Apparently, he wasn't impressed either.

Sighing she stood. "I don't know why I bothered, chalk it up to it being a stupid human thing," Liz said dismissively and caught sight of her mopey-self in the mirror. Being moody wasn't something she liked to be and with a mental shake she stared down at Zim. "That and you are a dense, alien jerk." she said and flicked the lens of his goggles with one finger hard enough to make him flinch. "I'm going to change," she announced turning on her heel and retreating into the changing room.

Zim removed the goggles to rub his eye and make sure he wasn't bruised, then he became enraged that the Liz-filth had the nerve to flick the goggles of the _amazing _Zim. Standing he stomped over to the curtain where the treacherous human was hiding and flung it aside. "Human-filth how dare-" the rest of what he was going to say was cut off when the half-dressed human yelped. In a startled response she swung at him with her fist. Unfortunately, he was not expecting such a reaction and the punch hit him square in the jaw, her surprising strength knocking him to the floor. Grabbing the curtain to hide behind she covered all but her head and glared at him.

"You can tend to that wound on your own!" she snapped then turned to glare at Skoodge whom had a clear view of the entire event.

She was clad in what Skoodge could only imagine was the bare minimum of cloth humans were issued, covering only parts of her chest and parts of her waist. The image of so much exposed flesh was burned into his PAK's memory and for some reason he felt his blood candies flush to his face. When he saw her blood candies flood to her face he wasn't sure if he felt better or worse.

"If you help him, I'll do the same to you," she threatened then disappeared back behind the curtain.

Zim held his cheek and scowled at the curtain, he could already feel a bruise forming. It would take a few hours for his PAK to heal the damage. "What is the reason for hitting Zim's amazing self?" he pouted from the floor.

"Reason?" came the angry retort from behind the curtain. "I'll tell you the reason," she said pushing the curtain aside once again fully clothed in her black jeans, dark green shirt and a small black half-jacket. "Because you busted in on me while I was changing, you perv!"

"Perv? Perv! Zim is no perv!" he shouted then paused. "What is a perv?"

"Gah!" Liz threw her hands up frustrated and stomped over to the opposite side of the store. She knew Zim hadn't meant anything by it, but she was still embarrassed. Mostly because Skoodge had gotten an eye-full. She knew her face was incredibly flushed and she hated herself for it. Liz Membrane didn't blush from such a silly thing. If it had been any other person she would have turned the situation around to make the other person flushed and embarrassed. Instead when Zim flung aside the curtain and she saw Skoodge staring at her wide-eyed she reacted before she could think straight. Stupid Zim. Stupid innocent, sexually repressed Irkens.

"A perv, or pervert," Liz began pinching the bridge of her nose, trying to calm down. "Is someone who gets their kicks out of spying, stalking, watching, peeping, groping, or taking secret pictures or video of another and mostly when they are exposed or vulnerable."

"I have no need to look at your disgusting fleshy meat-bits," Zim said firmly and Liz wasn't too sure how to react to that comment so she wisely kept silent. Zim then grew thoughtful. "That makes the Dib-stink a perv then? He is always spying on my amazing amazingness."

Liz blinked twice at Zim, shocked by his comment. Then she burst out laughing. She laughed so hard she had to clutch at her sides and sank to the floor using the wall for support. For a while it became hard to breathe due to her being reduced to a curled up ball of wheezing laughter. Eventually the gasping laughter turned into spurts of giggles as she thought about how spot-on Zim was without even fully understanding the implications of what he was saying. The two confused Irkens just stared as this went on for a long time. A few times she would calm down only to look back at them and start giggling again.

"Ohmigod, Zim," Liz giggled finally able to form words again. "Next time you catch Dib doing something like that," she snickered. "Please, please, _please_, call him a pervert. I guarantee that his reaction will be priceless."

"Will saying the word to the Dib-foe cause him to surrender?" Zim asked.

"I don't know about surrendering, but it will most certainly catch him off-guard," Liz said grinning widely at them and a few giggles escaped her as she pictured the scene in her head. "Ah, damn, now that I've given you the upper hand over him I need you to promise something, and I'll make a promise in return."

"Invaders don't make promises with enemies or their allies," Zim said stubbornly.

"Hear me out first," Liz said pushing herself to her feet. "Promise me that you won't kill or permanently cripple him, because if you do," Liz said locking her eyes onto Zim's goggles knowing that his eyes were on her. She smiled as she approached him slowly with a deadly feminine grace, this particular skill having been taught to her by the best. She could tell the two Irkens could sense the difference as they both tensed and watched her every move. Zim's pride the only thing keeping him rooted in spot, that and his naivete.

"If you manage to permanently hurt or kill him," Liz said making sure to say each word carefully and slowly. "I will fulfill my promise," she said and stopped to stand right in front of him, invading his personal space. He had to tilt his head to continue meeting her eyes as she stood a few inches taller than him, but his stubbornness had him jutting out his jaw in challenge.

Slowly she raised her hand knowing he was watching her every move. Very gently she laid her palm against his cheek and though she felt his face muscles tighten he didn't flinch. With a feather-light touch she trailed her fingertips down his cheek to the end of his jaw. Leaning forward so their cheeks almost brushed each other she whispered very softly next to where she knew his internal ear was.

In her best raspy, lusty voice she said, "I promise that I will inflict so much pain upon you that your future clones come to life screaming." Having said her piece Liz withdrew stepping back out of his personal space. She was a little frustrated not being able to see Zim's eyes, but she supposed Skoodge (whom she could see out of the corner of her eye) was bug-eyed enough for the both of them.

"Your answer?" Liz asked not taking her eyes off Zim.

He swallowed before speaking, the only indication that she had rattled him. "Zim has other plans for the Dib," he said in a very controlled manner and Liz was impressed, she had to admire this stubborn side of the Irken. Not many would be able to speak without stuttering after being on the receiving end of the 'velvet-whip voice', as the girls in the trade called it.

"Glad to hear it," Liz said dropping the voice and returning to normal, both Irkens visibly loosened up, the tension leaving them. She chanced a glance at Skoodge and his face was such a mix of emotions that it was hard to read him, which surprised Liz as neither of Irkens seemed to be able to experience super complex emotions. Maybe they were changing slightly, as she suspected. Over the past few months the more time she spent around Skoodge the more she could sense a very subtle change in him, such that if she wasn't studying them so carefully for Dib's sake she wouldn't have noticed it.

She had been about to comment on it when Giovanni came back carrying two black bags on hangers. "I have completed the alterations, they are not what I would normally do. I would need a few weeks to make a completely custom fit attire. However, I was able to make some slight alterations on some of the sizes I had in my display stock. They should do in a pinch," he said wanting to make it known that they were not up to his usual standards.

"I'm sure you did a marvelous job," Liz said reassuringly, then she pointed to Zim. "Him first."

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><p><strong>So, in case anyone out there like 'wtf demons?' they are canon to the show, but the idea that the Membrane Family was originally a Mafia family is my idea... further details on how that idea blossomed is yet to come. However, I will try to explain in the story how elements from the show influenced that idea. :) Any questions feel free to ask. P.S I had a lot of fun writing this 'Hot Pants Zim' chapter ;3 <strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello! Thanks again for reading. I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)**

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><p>Giovanni nodded at Liz's instruction and placed the bag in the dressing room. "I included some of the basic necessities as well," he said unzipping the bag. "Should you need assistance let me know," he gestured for Zim to enter the room.<p>

Zim entered after the Liz-human raised one of her eyebrows at him in such a way that his invader-ness felt challenged. He proudly marched into the room and the clothing slave let the curtain fall closed behind him. Zim took off the goggles to better inspect the contents of the black bag and spotted the short heeled boots first. The heel did not look as deadly as the Liz-human's but the shoes would definitely make him taller. The sole of the boots were thick and added with the heel he would gain at least two inches in height. Grinning to himself he put the shoes on first and while they didn't fit as well as his invader issued boots, his feet were not uncomfortable either.

Going through the bag he found long black pants that would fit looser than his tight black pants. Folded on top of the pants was an article of clothing Zim recognized as what human males wore as a first layer of clothing, as he had witnessed in the filthy skool changing rooms. He shuddered involuntarily at the memory of so many stinky Earth-monkeys together exposing their fleshy bodies. He usually hid in one of the stalls until they all left before coming out himself. What was different about this piece of clothing was that it was black while most of the Earth-worms wore white.

Knowing that the clothing slave would find it weird should he not put on all the clothes Zim removed the remaining scraps of his uniform. It was stupid to wear so many useless layers. He wore only his pants, shirt, boots and gloves. His invader pants wrapped around his feet so he had no use for the socks either, but a pair had been included for him, also in black. Standing only in the boots Zim frowned seeing as he had gone about this in the wrong order.

He had to take off the boots to put the socks on and pulled the extra sock material up over the bottom of his shins. Next he put on the under layer of pants that only covered his waist and could hardly be called pants as they did not cover his legs at all. If he had a nose he would have snorted at the unnecessary human cloth. The black pants with the thin white stripes fit him well, but their looseness against his legs felt odd. After his bottom half was fully clothed he put the boots back on and inspected the shirt provided.

The cloth of the dark pink shirt was softer than he had expected it to be as he felt the smooth material between his clawed fingers. Nodding approvingly at the texture and color he moved the hat and his PAK to slip it on. The holes in the back of the shirt lined up perfectly with the port holes in his back. Before he could put his PAK back on there was another shirt thing he had to put on, a sleeveless black vest with thin white stripes. While the shirt was a little loose the vest was tight against his chest, buckles in the back securing it in place, however the material was flexible and he could easily move in it. The front of the vest also had many silver buttons in two rows down the front and a small thin chain connecting one side of the buttons to the other. The metal jingled a little as he moved and while it would surely give him away should he try to be stealthy, he did somewhat enjoy the sound.

Lastly, inside the bag were some short black gloves altered to fit his Irken hands, again not as good as his own gloves, but they would do. Placing the goggles and hat back on he swept aside the curtain and posed in the same manner that the Liz-human had, believing that this was the normal way to exit the room with new clothes.

The Liz-human chuckled as she went over to stand by the mirrors, "Come here, Zim, stand in the proper light," she pointed to the spot in front of herself.

Zim moved to the spot not because the previously-scary human told him to, but so he could see how the human clothes looked. Once he stood in front of the trio of mirrors he had to admit that the human clothes fit him rather well.

The Liz-human studied him a moment before grabbing his pants by one of the small loops around his waist. "Tuck your shirt in, it looks sloppy," she said and before he could react she pushed his shirt into his pants by shoving her hand down with the material.

Shrieking he tried to push her away with his hands against her face, "Remove your hands from Zim's pants at once!" he demanded.

The Liz-human batted his hands away. "Awe, come on," she continued to tuck in his shirt despite his struggling.

"Pervert!" he cried waving his arms around.

She grinned at him, "Would you prefer a different pervert's hands instead?"

"Eh?" he said not understanding. "Nothing but Zim should be in my pants."

"Oh?" Liz leered at him, hooking her fingers into the belt loops on either side of his hips. She tugged him flush against her so she could whisper to the side of his head, "Is there _really_ no one you would prefer to be in my place? Someone else you would want tending to you?"

A face flashed in his mind. Zim pushed the Liz-human away scowling at her. He didn't know why but he was not going to admit anything. "Lies!" he said pointing at her.

Liz rolled her eyes at him and approached again, this time Zim grabbed at his clothes and stepped out of her reach. She planted her fists at her hips and raised her eyebrow at him in a 'really?' expression. "I'm just going to adjust your clothes, you don't have to be afraid."

"Afraid?" Zim scoffed, insulted. "Zim fears no mere human," he protested.

"Then stop squirming," she pointed out and waited for him to step back towards her so she could fuss over his clothing by adjusting and tugging.

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><p>Giovanni stood back and watched knowing that Miss Liz was pleased with his work. She patted him on the shoulder when the green young man emerged from the dressing room. However, he wasn't watching the two in front of the mirror so much as the second green young man who was watching the pair with a scowl. Miss Liz was being very flirty with the young gentleman named Zim, teasing him playfully, smiling, and touching him slightly more than necessary. Mr. Zim seemed to pay no mind to the flirting, but the other, Mr. Skoodge, was becoming more upset as he watched, though he seemed slightly confused as well.<p>

At first Giovanni thought Miss Liz was genuinely interested in Mr. Zim and he had been slightly disappointed that such a smart young woman (so few of them these days) was being so obvious about her intentions. However, as he watched he realized that Miss Liz had no interest in Mr. Zim at all, her flirting had no spark to it. She was, in fact, teasing him about another individual Mr. Zim fancied. It was also obvious that Mr. Skoodge did not approve of the flirting and from the young man's expression Giovanni recognized the beginnings of a romantic interest, very early stages as it seemed Mr. Skoodge did not yet realize this himself. The poor young man was rooted in spot watching the two, clearly unhappy but not able to interfere as he could probably not think of any reason to stop Miss Liz's behavior.

Giovanni began to pity the young man as he doubted the foreign refugee would know how to express interest in Miss Liz properly. The pity was shorted lived, however, once Giovanni saw how Miss Liz kept stealing glances at the young man through the mirror. Then he grinned. Miss Liz knew _exactly_ what she was doing, she wasn't just teasing Mr. Zim to be friendly, she was testing Mr. Skoodge's reactions. If Miss Liz knew of the young man's interest in her and was going as far as to see if he grew jealous then that young man had nothing to worry about. It was now obvious to Giovanni that Miss Liz was romantically interested in Mr. Skoodge. Though he doubted Miss Liz, being a lady from a different time, would go about expressing her interest in the direct ways kids did now. Her seduction of the young man would be slow and meticulous.

If Giovanni was correct in his assumptions of the two young men, then he doubted that they had much experience in romance, perhaps this was a new feeling for Mr. Skoodge. Miss Liz probably everything planned out so that the young man could work through his feelings and gain the courage to act on them without ever knowing that she knew how he felt even before he did. She wouldn't openly express her own feelings until he did, she would keep the young man nervous and ignorant right up until the moment he confessed, all the while fueling his desire for her. Such was the ways of the women he knew from his families' stories. Ladies of intelligence and class who took charge of what they wanted and whom the men around them adored.

Himself being a very anxious individual, Giovanni never left his shop and his only interactions were with customers and his bodyguards. So while he did not have any experience himself despite being a man of his late twenties, he also felt no desire to do so. However, over the years he had been able to pick up on intriguing situations such as these and it was more than enough for him.

Though he knew things would eventually work out for Mr. Skoodge, Giovanni empathized with the young man's frustration and the long road ahead of him. So seeing an opportunity to help the poor confused lad he discreetly suggested that he change into his clothes as well. As he pulled the curtain aside Giovanni quietly told the young man, "Be bold, but remember you will catch more with honey than vinegar."

Giovanni wanted to chuckle at the confused expression of the young man's face but managed to keep himself contained to a smile as he let the curtain fall. Looking back to the two he saw Miss Liz watching him in the mirror and he winked at her nodding to the changing room. She looked surprised for a moment and a small flush rose to her face, causing Giovanni to grin. Maybe Miss Liz didn't have everything as planned out as he thought, as she hadn't expected him to pick up on the situation.

Perhaps she too was in the beginning phases of her interest and it was just in her nature to approach Mr. Skoodge in such a manner. After all she was still a young lady herself. Despite the slight blush Miss Liz recovered quickly and winked back causing Giovanni to add onto his earlier thought. _But it doesn't take long for a smart young lady to turn into an intelligent woman._

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><p>Inside the dressing room Skoodge had no difficulties changing into the human clothing and the smooth purple shirt fit perfectly around the PAK ports in his back. His pants were similar to Zim's but his had small thin stripes running down them, much like the stripes on Zim's vest. He also had a pair of short black gloves, which fit his hands but not perfectly. The shoes he put on were short and all black like the socks. Skoodge felt that socks were an unnecessary piece of clothing.<p>

Human should just make all their pants cover their feet like Irkens did, it would remove the need for the extra clothing. Also the loose black shorts which covered his waist were another unnecessary layer to wear under the pants. In all it was weird wearing so many layers and on top of that he held two different items in his hands that he had no idea how to wear. One was a silk strip of black cloth and the other was stretchy with metal clips. Frowning, Skoodge stared at the two items hoping that they would reveal their secrets to him.

"Knock, knock," Liz's voice said from the other side of the curtain. "How you doing in there?"

"These items are unfamiliar to me," Skoodge said reluctantly.

"Let me see," Liz said and Skoodge pulled aside the curtain but before he could step out she came in and stood in the corner motioning for him to come over to her.

"What is Zim doing?" Skoodge asked peeking out into the room as he still had the curtain pulled aside. Zim and the clothing drone were looking at the many boxes at the counter.

"Zim, didn't like how loose the sleeves of his shirt were so I told Giovanni to let him pick out some cufflinks. It will probably take him a while to choose, so I wanted to check on you. Turn around so I can see how you look," Liz said and Skoodge turned to face her letting the curtain fall closed behind him. "Wow," she said her eyebrows raising up. "You look good, really good," her face softened and her eyes went half-lidded as she studied him.

Skoodge's antennae twitched under his wig at the scent she released. It was different from the one in the shop, but he liked it or rather it was intriguing. This one was new, he hadn't noticed it before. The scent made him step closer to her, the closer he was the stronger it became. When he was right in front of her and her gazed hadn't changed, she still had that unfocused look in her eyes, he felt the urge to touch her. Reaching out his gloved knuckles brushed her cheek, forgetting that in his hand was the elastic straps and they bumped into her as well.

It was enough to break her from her thoughts and the scent died down. "Oh, right," she said taking his hand and bringing it down so she could see what he held. Skoodge hid his disappointment, mostly because he didn't know why he was upset, or what he wanted to happen instead. "These are suspenders," she said taking them from his hand. "Similar to a belt they keep your pants up, and are useful if your pants don't have any belt loops, like the ones you have on. Here, I'll put them on," Liz said taking them from his hand and clipping them onto the front of his pants. She motioned for him to turn around and she clipped them in the back and adjusted the straps.

The suspenders did help, as the pants were slightly loose on Skoodge's hips and they now felt more secure. Liz then took the strip of silky cloth from his other hand and wrapped it around his neck. Skoodge tensed a moment not sure what to expect but she began tying the thin end around the thicker end to make a knot. The cloth ended in a point and rested flat against his chest.

"This is a tie, you can tighten it or loosen it like this," Liz said demonstrating how to work the knot. "For now you can just loosen it enough to slip on and off your neck, I can teach you how to tie it on your own later." Liz took a step back and tilted her head from side to side. "Hmm, something isn't one hundred percent yet. What do you think?"

Skoodge looked down at this outfit. He had tucked in his shirt already. His first impulse had been to leave it untucked. He felt a strange desire for Liz to treat him the same as Zim but when he imagined it happening all the blood candies rushed to his face and he tucked in his shirt before he realized what he was doing. He could find nothing wrong with the outfit, but he wanted to make his opinion of human clothing known. "Humans wear too many layers."

"Too many?" Liz repeated. "You just have a shirt and pants on, how is that too many?"

"This human outfit has both shorts and pants, only one is necessary. If the pants covered the feet then the socks wouldn't be needed," Skoodge pointed out.

"Not everyone likes wearing tight clothes, the pants you have on also make your legs look slender and long, if they were tight it wouldn't look as good," she answered and furrowed her brow as she thought on his first comment. Then the confusion cleared from her face and she grinned at him in such a way that he grew nervous. "Sooooo," she said stepping up close to him. "Irkens go commando, huh? For a people that like to cover almost every inch of themselves, you sure are daring," she continued to smile up at him then an idea popped into her head. "Oh! I know what your outfit needs," she grabbed his hand and glanced up at him before sliding her fingers under the edge of his sleeve.

The soft touch against his usually covered skin sent a chill along his arm all the way to his PAK. The sensation was almost paralyzing as he watched Liz roll the fabric of his sleeve up his arm, her fingertips brushing against his exposed skin. Once she reached his elbow she stopped.

"Want me to roll up the other sleeve for you?" she asked, her chemical scent filing up the small enclosed place.

Skoodge's antennae slipped out from the side of his wig to taste the air, he didn't know what this scent meant or what was causing it, but it was making it hard to think properly. Instead of answering he held out his other sleeve for her to roll up. She slipped her fingers under his sleeve, brushing against his wrist, but this time as she rolled the fabric up her fingers did not touch his skin once. Frowning he stared at his untouched arm.

"What? Disappointed?" she asked teasingly, but didn't wait for his answer and pulled back the curtain. "Zim," she called out to gain his attention. "What do you think?" she asked once Zim was looking their way then stepped aside so he could see Skoodge.

"Eh?" Zim came over and Skoodge hesitantly stepped out from the changing room. Zim squinted as he studied his fellow Irken. "He does not look as amazing as Zim, but he looks better than most of the pig-smellies on this ball of dirt."

"Damn straight he does," Liz nodded then pushed the both of them to stand in front of the trio of mirrors. "And look how well you compliment each other. Zim, your vest matches Skoodge's pants and together the two of you look like you could take on anything." She stepped back to study them in the mirror. "There is just one more thing to fix," she said and grabbed a metal tin from the counter. Opening it she scooped out a glob of clear goop, rubbed it between her hands then attacked Skoodge's wig, slicking the black mess back. "Ugh, I hate your wigs, they feel so fake and gross," she said sticking her tongue out disdainfully as she took the cloth Giovanni offered her to clean her hands. "But now you look perfect," she said and stepped back to admire them again.

Zim tugged at the round black cufflinks he picked out and went back to looking at the mirror . Skoodge followed suit and he had to admit that the human clothes certainly gave off a different feeling than their invader uniforms. It reminded him a little of the men in suits, but more like a rebel or a criminal. Once that thought came to him he turned to face Liz.

"This is the uniform your criminal family wore?" he asked catching Zim's interest and both of them waited for Liz to answer.

She chuckled. "How can you be so smart about some things, yet so oblivious to others?" she said shaking her head with a laugh. "But yeah, many people in my family used to wear similar outfits, though each person personalized their attire so while everyone looked alike, we were all different too. Our Family was strongest when we were working together, but it was each person's individual strengths that made us strong, that was the message our clothing sent to others. You two complement each other, but you are not the same."

"Of course," Zim said crossing his arms. "How can there be another as amazing as Zim?"

"You got me there, Zim," Liz said with a smile, then she turned to Giovanni. "Tally us up, we should probably get going."

Skoodge watched as the clothing drone nodded and went over to the monies machine. After being on Earth for so long Skoodge knew a little about how the monies systems worked and how much different items cost. Sometimes the other skool kids would brag about how much they spent on new things and it would have seemed... not normal if they didn't understand how expensive things were. As their base supplied every thing they needed they rarely needed Earth monies except to bribe GIR to behave by getting him things he wanted, like tacos.

Zim first tried obtaining monies by going to the park and letting GIR spin around to amuse the humans, but the human authorities would often come and it became too dangerous. In the beginning of Hi-Skool most students got what they called a 'part-time job' so to be normal they did too, but Zim lasted only a few hours before he was fired after yelling at customers. In the end they just used the base to make human monies, but they rarely used them as the computer said if they used too much of the fake monies the human authorities would come after them.

So as the clothing drone calculated the cost of their clothes Skoodge felt all his blood candies leave his face and if it wasn't for his PAK he was sure that all his functioning would have stopped. Hastily he tugged at Liz's sleeve to gain her attention.

Turning she saw his face and grew alarmed. "Skoodge, what's wrong? You look sick."

"We are not carrying this amount of monies with us," Skoodge said not sure how the clothing drone would act. He didn't want the human authorities to come, especially while Zim's PAK was still disabled.

"Oh," she said understanding his alarm at the outrageous price for their altered clothing. In answer she held up a rectangle of plastic with the words 'Platinum' on it. "No worries, Skoodge, the clothes are a gift. Professor Membrane gives his children, and by extension me, lots of money to replace his love and affection. How do you think Gaz can get so many new game systems and how Dib gets the money for all his equipment? I haven't touched much of mine until now, and I have no problem spending it as I please."

"Zim is amazing and deserves many gifts," Zim said stepping into the conversation. "But the Liz-human is related to the Dib. What do you want in exchange filthy-human?"

"Want?" Liz said bringing a hand to her chest pretending to be insulted. "Can't I just give the clothes to you guys as a gift?"

"LIES!" Zim shouted pointing at her. "You just want the AMAZING Zim to owe you a favor. Invaders owe favors to no one!"

Liz put a hand to her chin as she thought. In reality she hadn't planned on making the two owe her anything. She had cash to burn and secretly she always wanted to dress the two up in these kinds of clothes. The moment she saw them she knew they would look damn good in pinstripes, and she had been correct. Skoodge looked particularly hot in the deep purple dress shirt and pinstripe pants. The all black saddle shoes, black tie and suspenders looked fantastic on him. Ties and suspenders were her weakness, no matter who wore them it was incredibly hot and Skoodge looked especially so.

The green of his skin complimented the deep purple of his shirt and his tall, lean, but muscular body matched her ideal man. His complexion, which just happened to be her favorite color, made him that much more appealing and exotic to her. She respected his strong hardened-soldier mindset and also his sweet innocent side as well. She liked seeing his reactions to her and how he was slowly changing. He seemed to be aware of her as a female and not just a human and she liked making him react towards her. An idea came to her and Liz felt her lips tug into a devilish smile.

Skoodge did not like the look on Liz's face when she turned to him.

"There is one thing that Skoodge has that I want. If he gives it to me, I'll call us even."

"What do you want?" Skoodge asked wearily.

"It's something that's highly valued to many on Earth, because once you give it away you can never get it back nor can anyone else take it. But you don't need to be so scared," she teased. "It's something you don't even know you have."

"What is this thing Skoodge has?" Zim asked excitedly. "Don't give it to the filthy-human! Give it to Zim! We will use it to conquer the Earth-smellies."

Liz burst out laughing. "I don't think you want it Zim, besides you still have yours too."

"What? Where?" Zim said patting himself over looking for _it._

Liz chuckled at Zim but turned her attention back to Skoodge. "So? Do you agree?"

"What is it?" Skoodge asked not wanting to agree to the terms before knowing what it was Liz wanted.

"Nope. I won't tell until you agree."

"Will it hurt when you take it?" Skoodge asked trying to imagine if she was thinking about taking his organs. He remembered something from skool about human organs that had no purpose but were still in their bodies.

"No, not all," she smiled at him and he picked up that same scent from the changing room. The scent dulled his judgment and he nodded. "Good, now hold still," she said and slowly approached him. Skoodge stood still and his muscles tensed. Both Zim and the clothing drone watched eager to see what it was Liz was going to take.

She stood only a few inches from him and raised her hand slowly and deliberately so he could see her every movement. She placed her hand on his chest and Skoodge's squeedlyspooch lurched. Curling her fingers she grasped the black tie, her other hand brushing against his. Her fingers trailed up the glove's fabric as her other hand tightened around his tie. She tugged on his tie pulling his head down so his face was closer to hers. When she met his eyes, his squeedlyspooch lurched again. Her scent surrounded him, the same from before, his mind went blank. His entire being focused on how close they were. He could faintly feel her breath on his skin, the heat from her body, the slight touch of her fingers through the material of his gloves and he felt like his antennae were coated in this sweet scent she was giving off.

When she moved his mind truly went blank. Boosting herself onto her toes she closed the space between their faces. Her lips, surprisingly soft, molded against his. The sensation sent chills and sparks through his body and at that moment her fingertips brushed past his glove to gently slide up his forearm, it was a different touch from before and the sensation made his skin tingle. He could feel his PAK struggle to compute his body's reactions and he swore he heard something snap and break before he felt a rush of _something_ surge through his body. He felt his hand twitch and the urge to move, to do anything filled him but before he could react Liz pulled back and some of his brain functions returned to him.

"Has anyone ever done that to you before?" she asked almost in a hushed whisper, her face still near his, but her skin was no longer in direct contact with his.

While he could think again, it was till hard to remember how to speak sentences so Skoodge just shook his head.

"Then what I just took was your first kiss. This means that no matter what happens in the future, where you go or what happens to you, I will always be in your memory as the girl who kissed you first. On top of that I'm probably the first person to kiss an Irken in a very long time." Liz took a few steps back to give him more space. "I think that is more than enough compensation for two tailored outfits, right?" A small smile appeared on her face and she turned to ask the last question to Zim.

When her attention was on him, Zim slapped his hands over his mouth and took a few steps back from her.

Planting her hands at her hips she rolled her eyes at him. "Come off it, Zim. No need to be so jumpy. I have no interest in kissing you."

Skoodge perked up at this. Zim was a great—if misplaced with his destruction—Irken. While Skoodge was a successful invader he was never chosen for anything over another Irken. Even his Tallest rejected him and sent him away to be killed many times, so why did Liz choose him? Why did she want to be the first to complete the kissing ritual with him? He could still feel the sensations of her touch against his skin and he felt his blood candies rush to his face. It happened so suddenly and ended before he could fully absorb the memory into his PAK.

In fact, he was having a difficult time accessing his PAK's memory of it as his body was reacting weirdly and in such a way that it was hard for his PAK to compute. His skin tingled in the places she touched and his squeedlyspooch felt like it had lurched up into his chest. Her scent still lingered around him and he could almost taste it, sweet but not sweet. It was hard to identify, but he was sure he wanted to have that scent around him more. He needed to fully identify what was so... intriguing about it, which was hard to do as his antennae couldn't fully absorb the scent through the goop covered wig.

With their alliance she was very open about explaining human things. If Skoodge explained to her that he wanted to better understand this kissing ritual and why humans thought it was so important, he was positive she would let him repeat the experience. The second time he would be able to pay more attention to the sensations and her scent. Maybe he would be able to identify why the scent was so pleasant. However, every time he thought about asking her a weird feeling came over him which caused him to loose his speaking ability as the blood candies rushed to his face.

"LIES!" Zim yelled pointing at Liz, also confused at why she would choose Skoodge over him. "I am an amazing Irken invader. Why do you want things from Skoodge and not ZIM? _Tell me,_" he said deepening his voice.

"Zim," Liz began, "since the dawn of time males have been asking themselves that same question, and no man has ever been able to figure it out. I can't explain to you why, just that that's just the way I feel. Besides," she said quickly approaching him and leaning forward so their faces were level.

Zim was startled by her approach but didn't flinch away when her face came close. He stared her down with a glare like the mighty Irken invader he was.

"Do you want me to kiss you?" she asked him.

Skoodge tensed up, if he wasn't wearing the wig his antennae would have sprung up. The thought of Zim placing his face to Liz's and experiencing the same things Skoodge did made him strangely angry. Skoodge would always support Zim, he owed Zim a lot, and would give up anything that Zim wanted, but not his human.

This time Zim did recoil. "_Disgusting_ human filth! Zim wants no part of your face."

"Well, then," Liz said in a matter-of-fact voice as she straightened, "the feeling is mutual, so there's no problem then." She waved her hand in the air as if to shoo away the topic and approached the counter. Pulling out her card she went to hand it to the clothing drone. As she stood at the counter she felt a tingling sensation at the base of her neck. Quickly she looked to the front of the store to peer outside. The tingling was a tale-tale sign she was being watched, however, there wasn't anyone that she could see watching or looking into the store's windows. This street wasn't traveled down very often so there wasn't anyone walking by that might have peeked in either.

"Liz?" Skoodge ventured looking between her and the front of the store, curious as to what she was looking at so intently.

Liz studied outside for a few more seconds before finally looking away. "It's nothing," she said and offered the card once again, but before the clothing drone could grab it it slipped from her fingers and fell to the ground. Liz, however, was staring at her hand as it shook. "Shit," she swore and quickly dropped to her knees before the tremors made her fall again.

When she fell over and began shaking Skoodge rushed over to help. He picked her head off the ground and held her in his lap, gripping her shoulders to keep her steady. Zim came over to curiously stare down at her, knowing about her shaking fits. The clothing drone also nervously hovered over her, all three staring as she stared back at them gritting her teeth and looking pissed.

"Miss Liz? Miss Liz! I'll call an ambulance," the clothing drone said sounding panicked.

"No," Liz struggled to say through gritted teeth. Then Skoodge felt the shaking stop and her body relaxed her head resting in his lap. Looking up at him she gave a weak smile. "Thanks," she said and sat up. "No, Giovanni, I don't need to go the hospital. The shaking is a side effect from the freezing process, it happens every so often."

"Human bodies are stupid," Zim observed.

"They can be," Liz agreed picking up her card and getting to her feet. Finally handing the card to Giovanni. Slightly unnerved from before and not wanting to ignore her instincts she asked Giovanni to call a taxi for them. In a few minutes a cab rolled up and the two Irkens sat in the back while Liz took the seat next to the driver.

Zim shuddered as he remembered the last time he took a taxi and was very weary about trusting the thing to get them home. However, the Liz-human gave the cab-slave an address and he was surprised when the vehicle stopped in front of their base. It then dawned on him that he had no idea what the address of his base was as he paid no attention to how humans labeled things.

"You two have to wear your new threads to skool tomorrow," Liz said leaning out the window after they had crawled out. "Only then will I give this back," she said pointing to the bag that held Skoodge's uniform and the leftover scraps of Zim's. She waved at them as the taxi took off.

Zim stared off after the Earth vehicle. "Stupid human, our base can make new uniforms," he said without much emotion as he played with the shiny buttons on his vest and the chain that connected them. "But we shouldn't let the humans get their stupid wormy hands on Irken materials. Tomorrow we will retrieve your uniform and show the humans that we are normal worm-babies by wearing their cloths." Satisfied with that reasoning he marched up to their base and went in.

The moment he opened the door GIR tackled him, latching onto his arm as Mini Moose hovered around in the living room. "Master! I thought you would never return!" the little SIR unit cried dramatically as Zim flailed around trying to regain his balance. GIR then hopped off completely fine and happy again. "I made waffles," he reported happily. The little SIR unit then noticed that the two were wearing different clothing.

"Oooooo!" he said in awe. "You look like the TV!" he squealed happily running around the living room with Mini Moose following him. He suddenly stopped leapt into the air and landed sitting on the couch. Turning on the TV a show came on with a human dressed in a stripped suit, similar to what they were wearing. He was driving wildly though the city as a large group of the Earth authorities chased him. The human was laughing madly as monies flew from the car. GIR then changed the channel to the Angry Monkey Show. "I love this show," GIR said as Mini Moose came to sit next to him on the couch.

Skoodge wanted to watch more of the other human show, but had long learned that changing the channel on GIR was impossible as the SIR unit would throw a fit until the channel was turned back.

"I hate that stupid monkey," Zim scowled at the TV before going into the kitchen to use the trashcan entrance into the underground part of the base.

Skoodge almost followed but remembered something he wanted to check on. Retreating to his personal quarters he removed his contacts and wig letting his antennae stretch and wiggle in delight at their freedom. Taking a small monitor from one of his drawers he connected a small cord to his PAK so he could run a manual diagnostic of his functioning. Doing it this way would allow him to see the data before entering into the computer's datebase where Zim would see it.

In the dimly lit room the pinkish glow from the screen fell on his face and the data listed on the screen reflected in his large round eyes. As the data appeared Skoodge's antennae sprang upward in surprise before lying flat in irritation. This data couldn't be correct. According to the manual diagnostic his emotional filter was functioning at zero percent and the Taller chemical was at one-hundred percent saturation in his system. His PAK was no longer secreting the chemical into his body, his body was now circulating the chemical and replenishing it on its own.

Zim had theorized that with the way their PAKs were acting that this outcome would have eventually happened. However, it was only yesterday that his filter was still functioning at 35% and while the Taller Chemical had been steadily increasing in his body it had still been far from full saturation. The drastic changes in his PAK had to be the result of the kissing ritual.

The scene flashed through his mind and he felt his blood candies rush to his face as his antennae fell forward waving up and down in front of him. Surprised by this odd reaction, Skoodge smoothed back his antennae. Looking back to the screen he sat back on his bed (not that he used it much for sleeping) and reviewed the data in full making sure all his other PAK functions were stable before showing this unnerving data to Zim.

* * *

><p>Earlier that morning the scientist, the previous Head Researcher for Cryo-Freezing team, went about his morning ritual. After clocking in he made his way back past his previous labs, and the Cryo-freezing chamber. Further in the massive building, in the older, out-dated and unused sections of Membrane Labs the scientist entered his self-made sanctuary. Here he displayed the relics his once-frozen Angel left behind. Items from her previous life, clothes, jewelry, small trinkets, books, and two old and now forbidden instruments. Surely his Angel had these in her possession so others would not be corrupted by them.<p>

Humanity's focus should be on progressing forward with science and those not privileged in intelligence should just stay out of the way and not let their ignorant judgments interfere with those who knew what was best for the world. In a way, the normal citizens had very easy lives, all they had to worry about was how to entertain themselves while they waited for their betters to develop more improvements to their lives. Mindless entertainment for the mindless populace that existed solely to reap the benefits of science, that and serve fast food and do other mindless tasks that himself and other scientists were too smart to lower themselves to do.

Sometimes the scientist worried about how his Angel was fairing among the lower populace. He knew she was a perfect being; kind, humble, uncorrupted, intelligent, and a beacon of light for all those who held science above all else. After all she had been reborn though the power of science. She had left all her sins behind her to live as a saint. It was only fit that the greatest and smartest man alive, Professor Membrane, should be the one taking care of her.

There was only one small thing that worried him. He knew the professor had children, products of science, but like in all experiments not all trials yielded perfect results. There were rumors of the Professor's son and how he was insane, the Professor himself admitting to it. However, being the great man he was the Professor took pity on the failed thing and let it live its poor miserable life among the other less desirable populace. The scientist just prayed that the failed experiment didn't corrupt his Angel.

Wanting to clear that unpleasant thought from his mind the scientist continued his morning ritual. He dusted and cleaned the area, making sure everything was just so. He had just finished when he heard footsteps and voices approaching. Confused the scientist stepped out into the hallway and was shocked to see Professor Membrane and his specialized team of top scientists searching the halls.

Turning Professor Membrane saw him, "You there!" he called out making the scientist freeze up and almost hyperventilate in awe as the Professor approached. "We are looking for the personal belongings of the previously Cryo-frozen subject known as Liz, who through the power of SCIENCE has been cured and unfrozen."

"Uh, ah," the scientist said unable to produce anything intelligent and numbly pointed to the room beside him.

"Hm?" Professor Membrane peered into the room and exclaimed excitedly that he found it. The other scientists hurried over and immediately began packing up everything.

Horrified the scientist quickly found his voice, "Wait! What are you doing?"

"Packing everything up of course," Professor Membrane said his hands clasped behind his back as he watched his team work quickly and efficiently.

"W-Why?" the scientist stammered.

"To bring back to my house. She has, ah," Professor Membrane cleared his throat, "made it very clear she would like her possessions returned to her."

"Done!" one of the team said brightly.

"Good, good. We'll have it brought back to the house immediately then we can get back to work," Professor Membrane said and just as quickly as they came they all left leaving the scientist alone in the empty room.

He staggered into his now desecrated sanctuary and collapsed onto the floor. "No," he whispered softly to himself. No, he couldn't believe it. It couldn't be true. His pure Angel couldn't possibly want her Earthly possessions back. If she did it could only mean one thing that she had been... "Tainted. Tainted! TAINTED!" He screamed thrashing around in rage and sorrow. He screamed until his throat went raw and punched the walls until his knuckles were bruised and bleeding.

Corrupted. Tainted. Impure. Everything he hated, everything that science wasn't. She had been his Angel of science, of frozen beauty. And now she was... Dirty. Filthy. Contaminated. The world did this to her, like an experiment gone wrong. Something must have gotten to her. Some variable unaccounted for changed the mixture. He had to set things right. But how? How could he do anything? He was just one man.

At his neck he felt a tingling sensation and turned his head, momentarily distracted by his thoughts. There, in the corner, left behind, was a latched notebook. Something about it called him closer so the scientist crawled across the room to the leather bound book. Reaching out he pulled the book into his lap and felt compelled to undo the clasp. He had always assumed that the book was a diary and out of respect for his Angel never dared to read it.

It wasn't a diary, but the first page, in a child's handwriting read: _Notes!...and Stuff I Don't Want to Memorize._ Next to the words was a little smiley face with its tongue hanging out and on the tongue was a star. Curious, the scientist flipped through the pages. The first few pages appeared to be recipes for cooking and the scientist almost closed the book, but something compelled him to turn the next page.

Instead of another baking recipe it was a drawing of a star with small symbols at each of the points. At the top of the page in the same handwriting it read: _Summoning Star! (remember to start at the top)._ The word 'top' was underlined several times. For reasons he didn't know the scientist placed his finger at the top of the star and began tracing the shape on the page, unknowingly his knuckles dripping blood onto the drawing. When his finger returned to the top of the star the book began to feel warm in his lap, then hot, then very uncomfortably hot, and the scientist dropped the book and scrambled backwards as a flash of hot white light filled the room temporarily blinding him.

While he was rubbing at his eyes a voice spoke out: "_You have summoned me and I have read your heart's desire. Speak it and our deal shall be sealed."_

Still unable to see the scientist blinked and a grin appeared on his face. Somehow this book was left behind from his Angel's possessions. It had to be a sacred book and somehow it had heard his cry. Obviously, this book was all that was left of his Angel's purity, and it was so pure that not even he, a mere mortal, could look upon it. Surely it would help him in his quest to save his Angel.

"I want the power to purify my Angel," the scientist said opening up his arms.

* * *

><p>The being that came from the notebook, a being of shadows and light, illusions and lies, smiled at the misguided man. It didn't lie when it said it knew the man's desire, one of its abilities was to read minds. So it saw the man's memories and knew what the man thought it was. However, it was no pure being and this 'Angel' was far from being what the man thought she was. In fact the being had to stop itself from laughing at the very idea. However, it did know the girl's lineage and it recognized her from a time when human's were a much greater threat and a much greater treat.<p>

It smiled knowing the man could not see and approached the human. "_I can see your quest for power is a noble one," _it said and had to pause to stop itself from laughing. "_So I will endow you with my essence and give you my powers so you may accomplish your quest. Are you a willing vessel?"_

"Oh, yes, yes!" The scientist said.

"_Good_."

Before the scientist could thank the pure being he felt something touch his chest and soon to follow was an incredible pain causing him to black out.

* * *

><p>...<em>up... ke up... wake up... Get up already!<em>

The scientist bolted up right and looked around confused. He was still in his empty sanctuary, the leather notebook lay open next to him. Had it all been a dream?

_No dream_.

"Who said that?" the scientist demanded to know.

_I did. _

"Who?" The scientist said and he swear he heard an annoyed sigh coming from inside his own head.

_Keep up, jacka—ry, _the demon said quickly covering up his almost slip. Wouldn't do to have a 'pure' being swear.

"Jackary?" the scientist repeated. "That's not my name, it's—

-_A sacred name that I have given you in your rebirth. _The demon quickly butted in. _You are no longer a mere mortal, but a warror of –pft—purify. _The demon almost lost it at the end but manage to get his snicker under control. _You have become a vessel for my powers so that you may fulfill your quest. What is it you wish to do first? I will guide you in the use of your new abilities. _

"Oh!" the scientist said in delight. He very much liked his new sacred name. "First, I want to find my Angel."

_To bring yourself to her location you must first have an item that belonged to her._

"But they were all taken," the scientist lamented.

_The notebook, Jacka—ry._

"Oh," the newly named Jackary said and picked up the leather notebook. "Now what?"

_Now I will connect your shadow to hers and we will travel to her location. _

"How is that—GAAAAAH!" the scientist screamed as he felt darkness surround him and suck him into what seemed like a vat of cold slimy goo. In the next moment he fell face forward onto the cement of a sidewalk. Panicked he quickly sat up only to smash his head on a car's side view mirror. "Ow!" Jackary hissed rubbing his head.

_Heh, careful standing. Look around she should be near by. Try to stay hidden, you will need to observe first before taking action._

_"_Okay_," _Jackary said and carefully took in his surroundings. Ugh. He was in the city, down some common street. Luckily, there weren't any other people around. Looking around it didn't take him long to find his Angel, she was in the shop right behind him. Peeking just over the window's ledge he was able to see inside the shop while remaining hidden.

There she was, alive and beautiful. She was smiling and talking to the others in the shop, a smartly dressed older man, who had to be the shop owner, and two green teens. Green was certainly an odd color for their skin, it had to be a genetic condition. Poor deformed boys. Maybe his Angel wasn't tainted, maybe she was just showing mercy and pity to the common and lesser mortals.

However, that comforting thought was quickly smashed as his Angel approached the taller of the two green teens and touching his hand she pulled on his tie to kiss him.

Rage filled Jackary. Righteous rage. He stood ready to burst through the window and...

_NO! Not yet! _The demon pulled his host back into the shadows just as the girl turned. She had sensed them.

Back in the labs Jackary sat up off the floor with a scowl. "Why did you stop me? I could have saved her right then! I need to purify her. She's being corrupted."

_I know, but you can't save her yet. You need to wait for the right moment. Those around her will try to stop you and my powers will have no affect on them. Just keep observing. By understanding how she had become tainted you will be able to save her. _Of course that was all a lie, well most of it. It was true his powers had no affect on others, only his vessel's target, such was their contract. And he had to be careful with how he approached the girl. She had sensed them for certain, if she found him before the contract was completed she could easily destroy him. He had to wait and watch, find her weakness, or a moment of vulnerability. And in the mean time he would have to figure out how to keep his vessel in check.

"That makes sense," Jackary said. "In science observation is key. We will observe her over the next few days then we will find the best way to gain her purity back."

_A wise decision. _The demon agreed.


	13. Chapter 13

**So it's working out that I'll be updating this story weekly, most likely on Sundays. Let me know if it's all starting to make sense in the next few chapters as more questions are answered. Also I'm trying to share the point of view among all the characters but let me know if you guys want more of a particular POV. Thanks again for reading :) Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Dib sat on the couch watching re-runs of Mysterious Mysteries with a bowl of popcorn next to him. A sound at the door alerted him to Liz's return. "You're back late," he commented around a mouthful of popcorn. It was already 7:30, and usually she was home closer to five or six. He and Gaz ended up ordering takeout for dinner around six. It was only a few minutes before Liz walked in that Gaz had retreated to her room giving Dib his time with the television.<p>

Liz placed a fancy-looking bag by the door before coming over to flop down on the couch next to him. Dib offered the bowl to her and she grabbed a mouthful of popcorn, one of the few snacks she said still tasted the same. "Yeah," she said after swallowing. "It's been an eventful afternoon," she took a few more pieces and popped them in her mouth chewing thoughtfully. "Informative too."

"Yeah?" Dib said trying not to sound too interested. If he was too eager to get information about Zim she would find some way to tease or poke-fun at him. Though when she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye Dib knew his attempt at polite interest failed. Surprisingly, however, she didn't provoke him.

"Yeah," she said simply and held out her hand for the bowl, which Dib offered again. "I learned," she said pausing to chew, the small smile on her face telling Dib that the pause was on purpose. "That Irkens go commando under their uniforms."

Dib almost choked on his popcorn, as it was he had to grab a napkin to clean up the amount he spit out in surprise. Liz rolled onto her side laughing at his comical reaction. "Jerk," Dib mumbled as he cleaned up and set the popcorn bowl aside. "How did that information come up?" he asked a little irritated at being laughed at.

"Not telling," she said and hopped off the couch. She made it halfway up the stairs before stopping and leaning over the railing. "Oh, and Zim may look thin and slender, but he has some well-toned muscles and his skin is very smooth and almost cool to the touch." She winked at him as his jaw dropped before quickly dashing upstairs.

It took Dib's brain a few seconds to process the implied information before racing up the stairs after her. "Liz! Liz! How do you know that?" he banged on her locked door. "Liz!" he repeated in an almost panicked voice.

Down the hall his sister's door burst open seemingly without her touching it. She stood in the doorframe with her arms crossed. "If you don't shut up, I will do it for you," she threatened and waited until he nodded meekly before the door closed again.

"_Liz!_" He hissed angrily at her door. He heard it unlock and stepped back as she cracked it open enough to poke her head out grinning widely at him.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Dib," she said clearly enjoying and fully expecting this reaction from him. "The whole situation was completely innocent," she paused. "Well, mostly innocent," she grinned wider. "But don't worry, Dib, I would never try to elbow in on your turf. Good-night, _pleasant, _dreams," she said suggestively and closed the door before he could respond.

Dib stood at the door his mouth flapping open and closed like a fish gasping for air as he tried to formulate words. When none came to him he retreated to his room and sat at his desk staring at his blank computer screen. Never had he wanted to check-in on Zim's base more than he did right now. However, he gritted his teeth and continued to stare back at his reflection in the black screen. This was what Liz wanted him to do. To admit that he didn't have the willpower to resist temptation.

When the word 'temptation' fluttered through his mind Dib groaned and push away from his computer. He needed to distract himself. Pulling out his desk drawer he took out the latest Crop Circles magazine and laid down on his bed to read. Needless to say he did a lot of reading that night. Liz's words of 'pleasant dreams' felt more like a curse than well wishes. Afraid of what his hormone ridden brain might dream up, especially with what Liz told him about Zim's physique, Dib felt it was safer to be sleep deprived.

The next morning Dib waited for Liz to come out of her room, once the door opened he immediately asked her, "what happened yesterday? Tell me."

She took one look at the dark circles under his eyes and smirked. Patting his cheek she responded, "not telling," and retreated into the bathroom.

At breakfast Dib asked again, "tell me,"

"Not telling."

When they got in his car to go to skool, "tell me."

"Not telling."

Walking across the parking lot to skool, "tell me."

"Nope."

At her locker as she grabbed her things for the day, "Liz," Dib said half-way between desperate and angry. "What happened between you two? Why did you say what you did? You can't do this to me. Just tell me, if nothing happened why keep it a secret?"

Finally, she turned to face him and she looked like she was going to tell him off, but suddenly her expression changed. "I won't tell you because I don't need to. I can show you what we did instead," she

said pointing behind him.

Dib turned around to see what Liz was pointing to. At the front entrance of skool Zim and Skoodge just came in. Zim entered as he normally did, flinging open the doors then with his hands clasped behind him marched down the hall with his head held high. Skoodge silently followed, though he walked normally. The halls were still crowded with students so Dib couldn't clearly see the two and it didn't help that something about the two Irkens was drawing everyone's attention.

His curiosity peaked, Dib maneuvered around the other students. He was very agile and getting quickly through the halls without bumping into anyone was a necessary survival skill he learned early on. So he made it to Zim's locker just as Zim did and he finally saw what had all the students staring.

Zim wasn't wearing his Irken uniform. Dib came to a sudden stop and stared wide-eyed. He was sure his mouth was gaping open too. Zim looked... Incredibly sexy. He wore black shiny shoes poking out from under black pants that made his long slender legs look even longer. His pink tunic was replaced with a dark pink dress shirt with round black metal cuff links. And over the shirt he wore a tight fitting black pinstriped vest adorned with two rows of silver buttons with chains connecting them. The entire outfit matched Zim's demeanor, he gave off a proud, confident and villain vibe. In that moment Dib finally understood why Liz always found the villains more attractive than the heroes in the movies they watched.

Dib swallowed and stared at Zim. He wanted to burn this image in his brain. He was so absorbed in staring at Zim that he didn't even notice Skoodge was also wearing different clothes.

Zim saw Dib and grinned at him. Dib swallowed again.

"Surprised Dib-worm? Zim is now completely normal," he said slowly approaching Dib in what he thought was an intimidating way, as the Liz-human had approached him the same way at the shop. His misguided assumption was confirmed when Dib took a stumbling step backwards looking panicked, his face turning a bright red.

Dib found he couldn't give an intelligent reply as Zim approached him. Instead he panicked and never taking his eyes off the invader backpedaled past Liz straight into his first class. Once in the classroom the hypnotic power Zim seemed to suddenly claim over him was broken. Dib quickly took to his seat and frowned down at his desk.

Had Zim somehow mastered Postulio's powers? There had to be some explanation as to why Zim simply changing clothes had such an impact on him. Even if the outfit fit him perfectly, emphasizing his legs and slender and firm body. Not to mention that the top few buttons of his shirt were left undone to expose flawless green skin that was usually covered. There had to be some other reason for why Dib suddenly wanted Zim to attack him just so he could have an excuse to fight him and maybe get captured too. No. There had to be some evil plot going on. There was no way that he could be so affected by Zim wearing a suit, even if he did look _really_ good in it.

Normal teenage boys didn't react so strongly to their crushes wearing different outfits. Well, lingerie he could understand or maybe something more revealing. But according to Liz Zim didn't wear anything underneath so-Dib smacked his head down on his desk to stop the direction of his thoughts. He could not afford to think such things at skool, especially when the focus of those thoughts was in class with him. Unable to stop himself, Dib turned to look at Zim sitting in his seat. He had his feet propped up on his desk like usual, but in his new outfit he looked a lot more suave doing so.

Dib found himself transfixed and remained so during the rest of class, barely noticing anyone else around him. He registered that he gave answers when asked questions and got them right, he knew most all the materials by now anyway. He was also slightly aware that Zim was aware of him staring. In the back of Dib's mind, where he wasn't completely focused on how damn sexy the alien looked, he realized that he was starting to freak Zim out.

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><p>At first Zim preened under Dib's obvious shock. However the human became unresponsive to Zim's scowls and even flailing his arms at the Dib to get him to do something besides fix his large yellow eyes on him had no effect. So Zim began to believe that Dib was using some sort of new human technique to defeat him.<p>

Zim could feel the Dib's eyes upon him. It wasn't the normal stare and it wasn't even a glare, it was something else entirely and Zim felt anxious under those yellow eyes. It was like there was some invisible force touching him from foot to antennae and it was beginning to make him jittery. At the bell for lunch Zim practically ran to the cafeteria. He would never say it out loud but he felt much safer standing next to Skoodge. The taller Irken wasn't intimidating by any means but their race was predispositioned to be drawn to tallers. And when he sat down next to his taller comrade, Zim felt a little less jittery from the Earth-monkey's constant stare.

"The humans have been staring all day," Skoodge said passing Zim his lunch made entirely of snacks. "Liz said it was normal, but..." he trailed off looking around nervously at the other humans in the cafeteria. At Skoodge's comment Zim realized that the Dib really wasn't the only one staring at them.

The wide-eyed blinky stares of the other Earth-smellies didn't bother Zim as much as the Dib's stare did, but it was irritating and unnerving. Becoming frustrated Zim jumped up on their table. "STOP OGLING ZIM! I AM NORMAL!" He shouted but his ranting went unnoticed. No one even blinked. Feeling very nervous Zim sat back down a little closer to Skoodge. "I do not like this," he said softly and more than a little freaked out. Skoodge merely nodded, his eyes darting around.

Suddenly the cafeteria doors burst open and seeping in the from the shadows the principle took on her crooked form. Her eyes couldn't be seen from behind the glare of her glasses, but the Irkens could feel her eyes sweep over all of them. She sneered at them all and from behind her Zim saw one of the skool's robot security drones carry in a struggling Liz-human. It dumped her onto the floor. The Liz stood and brushed off her clothes, she was wearing the outfit that matched theirs. She mumbled something under her breath and the principle twisted around very un-human like and hissed at her. Zim was slightly impressed as she didn't flinch or react except to glare back at the principle.

"Take a seat," Principle Bitters said with a hiss. At the door the security robot withdrew an electric prong in case the Liz-human should need further incentive to follow orders. She scowled at the robot and principle, but went to take a seat at the Dib's and his scary sister's table. Once Liz was seated Principle Bitters spoke, "Listen up you horribly doomed children, against my best efforts the government has decided to instate a new skool law that demands we must attend to your horrible bodies' needs. Starting today you will all be given a mandatory skool lunch once a week to ensure that you are all being fed."

As she said this tube like tentacles came down from the ceiling sucking up what food they had on the table and in its place depositing a tray with a green goop on it. Some of the goop splashed onto one of the _disgusting _Earth-monkey's face. The goop moved was was absorbed behind the Earth-monkey's eye-sockets. Zim shuddered.

"You can't leave until all your food is consumed," Principle Bitters scowled at them all one last time before sinking back into the shadows. The doors slammed shut and leaving the robots to oversee their required lunch. Completely horrified that a) their snacks were sucked up and b) that they would have to consume the poisonous goop the two Irkens glanced around nervously hoping to find some way to escape this horrible fate, but before they could come up with a plan a group of females approached their table.

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><p>Not yet aware of the situation at the Irken's table, Dib had a hard time keeping back his laughter at Liz's reaction to the skool's food. As soon as the goop was placed in front of her she immediately pushed it away like it was alive and would bite her.<p>

"Afraid it will attack you?" Dib asked teasingly.

"You're not?" Liz replied incredulously and nudged the food a little further away.

Dib shrugged. "It's skool food," he said dismissively.

"Don't tell me you'll actually eat this?" Liz said horrified.

"Pff," Gaz snorted. "Whiner," she said and scooped up the goop onto her spoon. Liz lunged forward trying to stop her but his sister already closed her mouth around the spoon. As she did so a little bit of black smoke slipped through her lips looking a lot like a woeful face, that happened a lot when Gaz ate things. Dib never questioned it as he would be reacting the same if he was her food.

Liz paused, one foot on the table about to lunge at Gaz. Making Dib notice how short her skirt was. With her foot on the table the skirt allowed most of her leg to be seen and he was sure from Gaz's perspective that she might be able to see Liz's underwear. Looking beyond his sister Dib noticed that a few of the other other boys had noticed the same thing as they leaned back to see round Gaz. One boy had been in the middle of bringing his spoon to his mouth when Liz moved and he missed his mouth completely, jabbing himself in the eye instead. Screaming he flailed around on the ground until one of the security robots came and carried him to the nurse.

Liz blinked in surprise at his sister. "Oh," she said and slowly sat back down, not noticing or caring about the reactions of those around her. "Never mind then."

Dib chuckled and picked up his spoon. He hated skool food as it did horrible things to his digestive system, but he didn't want to be stuck here all day either. However, when he raised the spoon Liz smacked it out of his hand. "Hey!" Dib said in protest.

Liz glared at him, "Just because Gaz can exorcise it doesn't mean you can," she scolded him.

Dib rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Liz, it's disgusting yeah, but it's not possessed," he said grabbing his spoon again. Liz stopped him by covering his hand with hers and gripping him a little too tightly. He winced and was surprised to see her looking at him seriously.

"Really? You can't tell?" she asked and Dib frowned. She made it sound like he was dumb or something.

"Dib's stupid," Gaz said picking up her empty tray, "and he has an iron stomach," and with that she passed in her empty tray to the security robot who let her pass through the doors.

Dib scowled after his sister until he heard Liz sigh. "Aren't you supposed to be a paranormal investigator? How'd you miss this? Never mind," she continued when Dib opened his mouth to protest. "If you don't know I'm sure they don't either," Liz said turning around. "Oh. Hell. No." Liz bit out.

Looking behind him Dib saw that a group of girls had gathering around Zim's table giggling and batting their eyelashes at the smartly dressed Irkens. However, Skoodge and Zim looked more terrified than anything else, probably not understanding why they were suddenly surrounded.

"C'mon," Liz scowled as she picked up her tray. "Let's go." Not leaving him much of an option but to pick up his own tray and follow, Dib made his way across the cafeteria to Zim's table. He didn't know what Liz had planned but he was just as surprised as the Irkens when she came up behind Skoodge and reached over to place her tray next to him. Acting like there wasn't a group of girls bombarding the Irkens with flirty questions, Liz studied Skoodge and gave him a small amused smile.

"You missed a few buttons," she said pointing to the top of his shirt where he had messed up a few buttons. She placed a hand on his shoulder and in a very bold move used him to push herself up to sit on the table in front of him. She pushing his tray aside and placed her high-heeled boots on either side of his lap. Her skirt fell just right, so he couldn't see anything, but most of her thighs were visible and Dib was surprised to see a blue flush on Skoodge's face, much like a human's blush as he stared at Liz's legs.

Completely ignoring the shocked silence around her Liz hooked her finger into Skoodge's tie and loosened the knot to slip the tie off his neck. The poor confused alien froze and his eyes darted back up to watch Liz's face. Once she had his attention she smirked at him. "I don't know how you can be such a perfectionist about everything but your own appearance," she said unbuttoning his shirt. Skoodge was too shocked to move as Liz fixed his buttons. "Oh, come to my locker later," she began very casually after fixing his shirt and slipping his tie back around his neck. "I have your spare change of clothes from last night," she said nimbly tying his tie.

Dib gaped at Liz, being human he understood what she was implying. Skoodge, clearly confused by Liz's behavior but seemingly not upset by it, merely nodded. That earned a few gasps from the girls, at which point Liz looked up acknowledging them for the first time.

"Can I help you?" she asked sounding slightly annoyed, Skoodge's tie still in her hand.

"W-We were just saying how much we liked their new look," one of the braver girls said having gained her courage.

"Thank you," Liz said like they had complemented her. She leaned back on the table bracing herself with one hand behind her, never letting go of Skoodge's tie so he had to lean forward or risk being strangled. "I knew this style would look good on them, I have a great eye for taste," Liz spoke her last sentence to Skoodge and smiled seductively.

Dib blushed hard at the display. The girls glared at Liz, but gave up and walked away. Once they had left, Liz let Skoodge's tie slip between her fingers releasing him. He sprang back staring at Liz his eyes so wide Dib could see some of the red of his real eyes around the edge of his contacts. Liz grinned triumphantly at the retreating girls.

"Um, Liz?" Dib ventured taking a seat across from Zim, who had been staring at Liz's boots in awe the entire time. "What was that all about?"

Liz tilted her head back upside down to look at him. "Just clearing the vultures," she said scooting backwards so she could tuck her legs underneath her and climb off the table to sit across from Skoodge and next to Dib. "But I admit that I might have overdone it a bit and drawn a little too much attention, which isn't going to be good for our next move," Liz said and Dib became highly aware of the fact that everyone in the cafeteria was staring at them.

"Move? What move?" Zim joined in the conversation no longer distracted by Liz's boots, which Dib could understand as her boots looked more like weapons with the spikes she had for heels. No doubt Zim was thinking of some way to replicate a weapon from them.

"We can't leave the cafeteria until our plates are empty, and since Dib had no idea what this stuff was I doubted you two knew either," Liz said.

"Of course I know. It's _disguising_ food," Zim sneered not liking that Liz was was testing his knowledge

"On a normal day, yeah probably, but this stuff is different," Liz said jabbing her fork at her plate without touching it.

"Liz thinks it's possessed," Dib said still not believing her, it looked no different to him.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Okay, Mr. I-don't-take-anything-seriously-that-doesn't-have-to-do-with-my-closeted-obsession, I'll prove it to you."

Dib blushed in embarrassment and quickly glanced at Zim who thankfully didn't seem to understand what Liz was talking about, but still he glared at her, "Liz," he said warningly.

"Don't threaten me Dib," Liz said starting to sound a little annoyed. "It's not my fault that you and everyone else on this pest-ridden planet are too dense to notice anything important. Them I can understand," she said gesturing to the other students. "They're just sheep at this point, but you," she jabbed him in the shoulder. "You, I expected more from. I thought you knew, but didn't care, which I can respect, but just plain ignorance? There is no excuse for that, you're a Membrane, and you—Mr. Paranormal Investigator—should have figured it out by now," her rant done Liz's anger suddenly drained from her and she became sullen.

Dib just blinked at her outburst, he felt guilty and shamed but he still had no idea what she was talking about. He just knew that Liz was really good at scolding people.

"Um, Liz?" Skoodge tentatively spoke up. Beside him Zim stared between Liz and Dib looking both confused and, weirdly enough, grumpy.

"Yeah?" Liz said with a pout, her cheek resting on her palm as she angled herself way from Dib, still frustrated.

"Why should we not eat this Earth food?"

Liz sighed loudly and sat up straight. "I suppose it would be more effective to prove my point than speak it," she said out loud to herself. "Can you take a sample of this stuff and hide it in that PAK of yours?" she asked Skoodge whom nodded and pulled out a test tube and stopper from his PAK.

"Skoodge!" Zim shouted indignantly. "Why are you following this human-monkey's orders?"

Dib saw Liz roll her eyes and Skoodge hesitated about giving the test tube over and hunched his shoulders at Zim's reprimand.

"You're absolutely right, Zim," Liz said her voice dripping in sweet sounding sarcasm. "Why should you guys listen to me? What do I know? I'm not a superior Irken. So, please, tell me O' Amazing One, what should we do to get a sample of this stuff to analyze where you can see exactly what is going on?" Liz said laying it on thick and Dib rolled his eyes at her. Obviously this ploy was not-

"Yes!" Zim agreed loudly. "I am the most amazing one! Skoodge!" he barked at the taller Irken. "Get a sample of this _horrible_ goo for testing."

Skoodge nodded and did as Zim said. Dib stared with his jaw open until Liz pinched his thigh. He jumped and scowled at her. She grinned mischievously at him and winked.

"Stop that!" Zim suddenly demanded pointing dramatically at Liz. "I demand you stop doing that weird eye-thing. _I HATE IT!_" he raised his hands up into fists to shake them in the air.

"What this?" Liz asked mocking innocence. She rested her chin on her hand, bracing her elbow on the table, and winked flirtatiously at Dib.

Dib couldn't help but blush as no one was ever flirty with him and even though he wasn't attracted to Liz, the attention was still new and embarrassing to him. He mumbled for Liz to knock it off, which only made her grin wider. Her earlier mood was gone as she found enjoyment in making him weirdly uncomfortable. Zim sputtered angrily as Liz just did the exact thing he ordered her not to do.

"Liz. Stop," the serious and even tone made all three of them turn to look at Skoodge, who locked eyes with Liz. His expression was stern and almost angry, which had Liz straightening up in surprise.

"Stop what, Skoodge?" she asked a challenge in her voice. Dib recognized early on that Liz never backed down when she was confronted.

"If we should not consume the rest of the goo, how do you expect to leave the room without suspicion?" Skoodge asked ignoring her question.

"Yes, how will you stupid worm-babies leave?" Zim butted in. "We Irkens can obviously escape from this building with its inferior security."

"We won't have to escape, we'll just walk out," Liz said simply as she began to take their trays and dump their portion of the stuff the skool mistakenly calls 'food' onto her own tray. Dib wanted to shudder at the way the stuff just oozed into itself to make a large oozing mass filling up Liz's tray.

"They removed all the trash cans. How are you going to get rid of it?" Dib pressed and the Irkens looked from the horrible mass of food to Liz, waiting for her answer.

"They never said who had to eat the food, just that it had to be eaten," Liz said.

A horrible thought crossed Dib's mind, "You're not going to eat _all_ that yourself are you?" he asked Liz.

"Ew! No," Liz made a disgusted face. "I don't want to even touch this tray its on, much less eat it, but we have to get rid of it. I'll get someone else to eat it."

"All of that?" Dib questioned, skeptical of Liz's plan. "How?"

"With force?" Zim pipped up hopefully.

"Nope," Liz smiled wickedly at Zim and stood up, tray in hand, "Seduction."


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello! Here is the update for this week. Thank you for your favorites, follows and reviews! A question was asked so I'll answer it publicly in case anyone else was confused.**

**glowzilla48 : Yes, Zim was upset because Liz was winking at Dib and he was acting flustered. Though the gesture itself probably annoys him as well. Same with Skoodge, Liz flirting upset him. Though both Irkens don't quite understand why yet. ;) thanks for all your comments. I look forward to your next chapter as well. **

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><p>Eyeing the students around them, Liz rose her eyebrows as she found a target. Taking the tray in one hand like a waitress Liz slowly sauntered across the cafeteria rolling her hips as she stepped to draw every teenage boy's eyes to her curvy form. It was soon apparent as to whom Liz had chosen as her victim.<p>

"Torque?" Dib thought out loud as he frowned. "He definitely won't do it. Liz dislocated Rob's arm." Dib watched as Liz approached Torque's table where he sat with his athlete buddies. All of them had their eyes locked on Liz, their eating frenzy paused for the moment. She stopped right in front of their table one hand on her hip.

From the angle Dib was at he couldn't see Liz's face and she was too far for him to hear what she was saying, but she must have asked a question because all of the boys nodded vigorously. Torque then none-to-gently shoved the guy sitting next to him causing all of the rest on the bench to squeeze uncomfortably together. Torque then moved over and gestured to the now empty space next to him. Liz placed her tray on the table and as she slowly sat down she crossed her legs in such a way that her skirt hiked up a little more, barely covering her.

The boys were ogling her, those next to Torque leaning around him to see her. Liz placed her elbow on the table and rested her head against her hand so she could look at Torque, again all Dib could see was the back of Liz's head. She gestured with her other hand and Torque and the boys nodded sympathetically as she spoke. Torque looked around at the skool security robots and not seeing any near-by switched his tray with hers. Liz leaned a little closer to Torque and he immediately began eating again. The other teens ate hurriedly, their eyes never leaving Liz making some of them miss their mouths a few times. Torque in-particular was shoveling food into his face even faster than before as he gazed hungrily at Liz.

A cracking, snapping noise startled Dib enough to look away from Torque's table. Skoodge's gloved hands gripped the edge of their lunch table so hard he was breaking the wood. His lips were pulled back in a snarl, his eyes narrowed to small slits, and his wig kept jerking most likely from his antennae moving underneath. Dib stared wide eyed at him, _never_ had he seen a look like that before from the Irken, not even Zim had ever looked _that _angry. Dib heard this strange clicking almost hissing noise and it took him a moment to realize that Skoodge was doing the Irken equivalent of growling.

At the sound Zim finally noticed the change in Skoodge's demeanor and looked to be as surprised as Dib was. "Skoodge, Skoodge?" Zim squinted one eye questioningly at his fellow Irken. When Skoodge didn't seem to hear him Zim began to yell at him. "_SKOODGE_, _ZIM_ _DEMANDS_ _FOR YOU TO STOP! BE NORMAL!_" His shouting caused a few students to look their way but most just ignored him as Zim yelling was pretty normal. However, his yelling did gain Skoodge's attention and he stopped clicking to turn and face Zim. "What are you doing?" Zim asked completely calm again. "It's creepy."

As if flipping a switch, Skoodge's face suddenly shifted to a confused expression and he looked down at his hands crushing the lunch table. He jerked his hands back in surprise and stared at the crunched part of the table. "I..." Skoodge blinked, looking lost he turned to Zim. "I don't know," he admitted sounding almost afraid. Zim frowned at him not liking that answer either.

Dib stared as the two shared confused and worried expressions. Skoodge's behavior must have not been normal Irken behavior, which Dib found really interesting and had opened his mouth to ask about it, when Liz popped back up to their table.

"What happened?" she asked pointing to the table.

Skoodge didn't answer and kept his eyes downcast.

"Nothing happened. It was _NORMAL_!" Zim yelled the last word then cleared his throat. "I mean, it was like that to start with."

"No it wasn't," Dib said irritated. "Skoodge gripped the table so hard he broke it and he was making this weird clicking sound while looking super pissed off. What was that sound? Why were you making it? How were you making it? Huh? Huh?" Dib shot off questions rapid-fire at the alien who seemed to shrink back with each one.

"Dib," Liz grabbed his scythe-lock and with a started yelp he was pulled back into his seat, not having noticed that he had been leaning across the table. "Stop bullying Skoodge," she reprimanded him lightly.

Dib smoothed out his affronted hair and grumpily mumbled, "I wasn't bullying him." Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Zim glaring at Liz again.

Liz ignored his comment and Zim's heated glare and placed her hand on the dejected Irken's shoulder. "You okay?" she asked in a gentle voice.

Skoodge peered up at Liz and in an instant his switch was flipped again. He snatched her wrist and yanked her down to be eye level with him, his eyes narrowed at her accusingly. "What were you doing? Why did you act that way?"

Liz opened her mouth to angrily protest her treatment but something in Skoodge's expression made her stop and she chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip, clearly thinking of how to phrase what she wanted to say. "It's a tactic that can be used to manipulate or control others, I told you it's called seduction. I used it as a way to make Torque eat the food. Why does it upset you?" she asked cautiously.

"They wanted to dominate you," Skoodge said his expression unmoving. "You were acting submissive to them," he said fiercely, squeezing her wrist tighter causing Liz to wince.

Dib moved to rescue Liz but a clawed hand clamped down on his shoulder pinning him to his seat. Jerking his head to the right he saw Zim had somehow moved to sit next to him. Zim's grip tightening warningly and his watchful eyes never moved away from the other Irken. Seeing Zim's tense expression calmed Dib down enough to notice that Liz had her hand held up, palm out to show that she would handle this, like Zim her eyes never left Skoodge.

"Yes, Skoodge," Liz replied softly in a calm voice to not draw attention. To anyone else it looked like Liz was having a private conversation with Skoodge and with her display earlier no one thought it strange. "One method to using seduction is to falsely act submissive to get your victim to lower their guard, once completed, simple suggestion can be used to make your victim do as you command without them fully realizing what they are doing. This method is especially effective when a female uses it on males with lesser intelligence or on males who have little resistance to its effects. In most cases the female has no intentions of staying submissive to the male and will only act so until the male has completed the task she requires of him, then she leaves the male alone giving him nothing in return."

Dib blinked at Liz's weird explanation of seduction, but it did make sense to him in a weird way, and it dawned on him that a warring race that reproduced through test tubes would have no knowledge about this subject. Liz had to explain in a way that an Irken might understand. Next to him Zim nodded slowly and thoughtfully taking in this new information.

"So you see, Skoodge," Liz continued drawing Dib's attention back to the scene at hand. "I was at no point _actually_ being submissive to them, it was dominance disguised as submissiveness. So, I was not in any way implying that they are equal or superior to you."

Suddenly, it all made sense to Dib. Liz was never someone to act weak or submissive. To suddenly act in a way that could be perceived as submissive was a great insult to Skoodge, whom she was not submissive to, especially because Irkens viewed themselves as superior above all others.

For a moment Skoodge looked like he wasn't going to accept the explanation, but then he released Liz's wrist and she slowly straightened. "Better?" she asked. "Or is there another reason why it made you angry?"

The switched flipped again and the anger left Skoodge's face. He studied the table frowning slightly. "That answer is acceptable," he finally said sounding like his normal self.

Dib released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He fought with Zim all the time, but somehow the thought of Liz and Skoodge fighting made him nervous. Sitting so close to Zim, Dib could feel the tension leave him as well. Apparently anger like that was not something Skoodge normally displayed, though Dib supposed that Zim was angry enough for ten Irkens. To live with Zim, Skoodge would have to be pretty mellow most of the time.

"Now that that is settled, shall we leave?" Liz suggested picking up her empty tray.

The three nodded each grabbing their own trays and following. They passed their trays to the security robot and a screen lit up with their names and little check marks next to them. However, when they tried to leave they were stopped.

"**None can leave until all have finished**_,_" the skool security robot informed them.

"What? But Gaz was able to leave!" Dib protested.

"**Return to your seats**," it informed them, ignoring Dib's comment, a taser coming out in case it needed to reinforce the rules.

"We have to go to the nurse," Liz said cleverly, stepping out in front of the group.

"**None appear to be ill or in need of medical assistance**_,_" it said.

"Look! A student breaking a rule!" Liz exclaimed and the security robot turned to where Liz pointed. While its attention was diverted Liz swiftly swung her leg back to kick Zim square in the stomach.

"ACK! MY SQUEEDLYSPOOCH!" Zim cried out hunching over as he clutched at his gut.

At the noise the robot turned back to regard the four standing together. Dib and Skoodge openly stared shocked at Liz who acted like nothing happened.

"He is hurt and those two can carry him to the nurse," Liz said jerking her thumb back at them.

"**Hmmm**_,_" the security robot said in a mechanical voice. "**Reason valid, permission granted for the three male students. However, there is no need for you to go.**"

"I have cramps," Liz said matter-of-factly and Dib blushed.

"**Er, ah,**" the security robot coughed. "**Permission granted for one female student as well. You may leave,**" it said unlocking the cafeteria doors for them to exit then quickly hovered away.

"Why did it cough?" Dib wondered out loud as they left. Skoodge held Zim by one arm and Dib by the other and together they helped the complaining Irken down the hall. Liz stopped at the crossroads in the hall.

"The nurses office is straight ahead," Dib informed her, as she was leading them.

"I know," she said and looked at them over her shoulder. "But a few other students have been taken there, we won't be able to talk," she looked right then left down the hall perpendicular to them and shifted her weight from foot to foot indecisively. Finally, with one sly glace back at Skoodge she sighed heavily. "C'mon, I know a place we can go and not be disturbed," she said taking a right.

She led them down another hall and through a door marked 'faculty only' in faded lettering. The room didn't have much, but there was a narrow staircase in the back. Liz led them upwards and it was a tight fit so Dib hung back and Zim used the rail to help him up the stairs and Skoodge stayed on his right. The entire time Zim kept muttering about unleashing doomful doom on Liz. She opened the door at the top of the stairs after jimmying the handle a particular way and led them out onto the roof.

"_Liiiiiiiiizzzzzzzzzzy_!" a familiar high-pitched squeal came and a flash of green whizzed by Dib tackling Liz and knocking her off balance so she fell back on her butt, her lap full of excited robot.

Mini-Moose floated by with a happy "Nyah," to hover around Liz's head.

"You brought Master, Mary, and Skoodge!" GIR giggled excitedly flailing his arms. "It's gonna be a show!" GIR shouted excitedly.

"GIR!" Zim snapped at his minion, having recovered enough to stand straight. "What are you doing here?"

"I come here every day while Master is away to play with Lizzy!" GIR said grinning from Liz's lap. "We daaaaaance and siiiiing," he said drawing out the words.

"GIR, shhh," Liz hissed sounding panicked. "Not today. Why don't you go play with the, er, squirrels?"

"I love Mr. Squirrel!" GIR squealed enthusiastically. "He looks like this," he said much calmer and hopped off of Liz's lap to imitate a squirrel, surprisingly well too. Then he ran towards the edge of the roof and jumped down with Mini-Moose following after him.

"Yes, well," Liz said getting up and making a big production of dusting herself off. She turned her back towards them and waved her hand in the air. "We should analyze that sample now," her voice still sounded slightly flustered and nervous.

"Liz-human," Zim narrowed his eyes at her back. "What have you been doing with my robot slave?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," Liz said quickly still not looking at them. "I didn't even know it was a robot, I thought it was just a normal green dog," Liz said in an obvious lie, which Zim completely believed.

"Yes, Zim is very good at making disguises," Zim said proudly and Dib rolled his eyes to land on Skoodge who was staring at Liz with the widest grin on his face.

"Let's get back to business," Liz said briskly finally turning around and stiffly walking over to Skoodge. "The sample?" she said holding out her hand, her eyes set on his chest refusing to look up at him.

Dib raised an eyebrow inquisitively as he had never seen Liz act so...nervous before. She was acting just like he did whenever Liz would confront him about Zim. There was something going on and from the victorious grin on Skoodge's face, the Irken knew exactly what it was. Maybe Dib could figure it out too as having something to tease Liz about would make his life much easier. Or at least there would be less one-sided embarrassment for him.

"Liz," Dib took a moment to gain her attention then used the best method he knew for gathering information. "Why are you acting strange? Why bring us to the roof? How did you know to get up here? Since when have you met GIR? How can you stand being around him? What do you do up here?"

"OKAY!" Liz shouted to get him to stop. "This is not interrogate-Liz-about-her-personal-business time, it's lets-get-back-on-topic-and-analyze-that-sample time."

"AH HA!" Zim suddenly shouted in enlightenment pointing at Liz. "You are the reason GIR hasn't been as destructy. I have a MIGHT NEED to know how you keep from him from destroying everything. _Tell me,_" Zim said in his usual manner of going between shouting and lowering his voice to draw out specific words.

"Guys!" Liz threw up her hands in frustration. "There are more important things you need to know."

"Zim doesn't care about the _disgusting _Earth food," he scoffed. "Answer my question!"

"You should care," Liz countered turning to face him full on. "That disgusting Earth food has taken your job!"

Zim narrowed his eyes at her. "Explain. Now."

"Yeah, Liz what are you talking about?" Dib asked.

"I'll explain after you analyze the sample," Liz said stubbornly.

"Skoodge," Zim said shortly. "Use your PAK to analyze the stupid dookie."

Skoodge nodded and an attachment came out from his PAK holding the test tube a small platform expanded out and the test tube contents were dumped out onto it. A little beam of light lit up the platform. "It's scanning," Skoodge said. "Results show no known Earth substances."

Dib frowned. "What does that mean? It's made up of ingredients not found on Earth or is your catalog incomplete?"

Zim scowled at him insulted. "Our superior Irken technology has long since cataloged everything on his mud-ball."

"So that means this stuff is from space?" Dib mused then it dawned on him. "ZIM!" Dib shouted and pointed an accusing finger at him. "What is this stuff? What scheme are you planning? What do you know? Huh?! Huh, Space-Boy?!"

"What?!" Zim stomped up to Dib. "Zim has nothing to do with this stupid dookie!"

Before they could get into their usual verbal fight that would eventually end up with them actually fighting Liz stepped in between them, physically pushing the two back and standing to face Dib. She smirked knowingly at him, " 'Space-Boy', Dib? That's a cute pet-name."

"Zim is no pet!" Zim said grabbing Liz's shoulder and pushing her away so he could say so to her face. Liz held her hands up in a sign of surrender and Zim scowled. Turning he opened his mouth to continue shouting at Dib, but paused and when he saw Dib blushing hard. He raised one eye and squinted the other as he studied him. "What is wrong with you, Dib-stink? Stop doing that with your face!" he demanded which only made Dib blush harder.

"I can't control it," Dib mumbled defensively.

"Calm down, Zim," Liz said her tone amused. "It's not Dib's fault, he—," she cut off whatever she had been about to say as her head whipped around to stare out over at the road across from the Hi-Skool. Liz narrowed her eyes as she took the last few steps to the edge of the roof.

Her actions confused him and Zim enough to stop their arguing. Dib opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but Skoodge was quicker and came up behind Liz studying where her eyes were going.

"What is it?" Skoodge asked.

Her eyes scanned the road and Dib also looked around curious but saw nothing unusual. "It was nothing," Liz said slowly. "I just thought that..." she trailed off one hand rubbing the back of her neck. "Never mind," she said turning back around. "Back to the matter at hand. No, Dib, the stuff isn't from space, its from a different dimension, the demon world to be precise. You do know about demons right?" Liz asked.

Dib rolled his eyes. "Of course I know about demons, I've even met a few. But why would the skool fed us food from the demon world? That makes no sense, but it does explain why so many kids were getting sick from it, more so than usual. They probably don't even know it's demonic food, we should tell them right away," Dib nodded to himself and set off to do exactly that until Liz grabbed the back of his trench coat effectively stopping him.

"Seriously, Dib?" Liz said raising one eyebrow at him. "You are just going to waltz down there and proclaim to all of them that their lunch is from the netherworld?"

"Yeah?" Dib said slowly not seeing the problem with his plan. "They need to be informed of this."

"Dib," Liz said slowly. "Did it ever occur to you that this is being done on purpose? And even if it wasn't what makes you think they'll believe you?"

"Why would they do it on purpose?" Dib asked ignoring the second question. It was something he didn't want to think about because no one ever believed or understood him, no one until Liz came.

"Well," Liz said studying the goop on Skoodge's scanner platform. "Either it is some sort of compliance and/or intelligence draining substance or it's a plug. I'd bet my money on the plug. With the way demons can infiltrate mass media, their brain rotting can easily be done through television or the internet."

"Plug?" Skoodge repeated before Dib could. Zim titled his head also waiting for an explanation.

"Mmmh," Liz nodded looking up at Skoodge. "A plug, a way for demons to directly connect with their food source, mainly a human's life force."

"Wait," Dib flailed his arms until he had Liz's attention. "Are you saying that the skool is feeding us stuff that lets demons feed off of us? How is that possible? How has no one noticed something like that?"

Liz raised one eyebrow at Dib and shifted her weight to one hip as she crossed her arms across her chest. "No one recognizes the two aliens in their class, what makes you think they would notice they were being feed a substance that has a supernatural purpose. Not even you noticed that," Liz pointed out. "Of course your eyes have been trailing after something—or better yet _someone—_else so it's no wonder. Hormones make boys stupid after all," Liz waved her hand in the air dismissively.

Dib opened his mouth to rebuke her but her last comment had him speechless and his face burning red. Instead he stood pointing at her his mouth gaping like a fish.

"Don't worry, Dib, that someone's complete lack of any type of awareness has them blissfully unaware of any kind of tension. Your secret is safe," Liz assured him. And the conversation went way over the Zim's head, except for one word.

"'Secret'?" Zim pipped up a large grin splitting his face. "Tell Zim of the Dib's horrible secret!" He said getting up in Liz's face. "_Tell me!_"

"Hmmm," Liz tapped her finger against her lips seemingly thinking it over, which caused Dib to have a mild panic attack. "No, I don't think I will," she said finally causing Zim to sputter angrily. "But I am surprised that you are both taking this news so well," Liz said addressing both Dib and Zim.

Dib shook himself reminded of the matter at hand. "Liz is right we don't have time for arguing—,"

"—Dib, I never said anything about—,"

"—The fate of the world depends on us!" Dib continued slipping easily into familiar thought patterns. "We're going to have to find the source of this demon and put a stop to it before all of humanity is enslaved to demons."

"Dib, listen—,"

Zim snorted, which was impressive considering he didn't have a nose. "For once the Dib is correct. How _dare_ these _demon-monkies_ try to take what is rightfully mine to conquer!"

"Uh, guys?"

"I won't let humanity be enslaved, not on my watch," Dib said feeling a rush of strength he hadn't felt in a while. "Not by demons and not by you either, _Zim._"

"Guys!"

"Foolish human, it's only a matter of time before Zim takes over this ball of—_arg, ack_—dirt! Just watch Dib-meats as Zim stops the demons only to have the armada come and destroy all of you! It will be glorious!" Zim threw his head back to laugh manically.

"Not a chance Zim!" Dib countered.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP AND LISTEN!" Liz shouted angrily causing both Irkens to clamp their clawed hands over their internal ears. Dib flinched at her voice and meekly went silent. Once she had their attention Liz took a deep breath and slowly exhaled advisably becoming calmer. "I'm sorry to say this, but you're too late."

"W-What do you mean?" Dib said afraid of the answer.

"I mean, that this isn't a new thing," Liz said pointing to the goop on the floor, her screaming had startled Skoodge into dropping it. "The skool is controlled by the government, which means that the government gave the order to have this mandatory lunch, which means that the demons have a strong control over the system," three blank faces blinked at her. "Which means that the demons control the government and thus control everything else. Humanity has already been conquered, by demons."

"Liz, you can't be serious," Dib said not believing it. "People would notice if their life force was being taken away. If that many people were dying someone would notice."

Liz shook her head. "They aren't trying to kill, that would be counterproductive. Humans have become livestock, free range livestock, but livestock just the same." Liz saw Dib's confused look and continued. "A farmer may let his flock of sheep run around a big field, but he still owns them and he still collects their wool, the sheep are just too stupid to go beyond the field because the farmer keeps feeding them."

"You can't compare humans to sheep," Dib exasperated.

"Can't I?" Liz said challengingly her tone becoming a tad harsher as she approached Dib ignoring the scowl Zim had. In fact the invader was looking very thoughtful and not all that happy with his thoughts. "You don't understand, Dib," Liz said poking him in the chest. "You have no idea what has changed in the past three hundred years, in only three hundred years! Technology has advanced, yes, but in turn that just left the door open for people to become complacent and lazy. No one thinks for themselves, no one puts effort into anything. Everyone is easily manipulated by the media and TV telling them what to do and make them less and less intelligent by the day.

"Demons have taken over the media and the media has taken over the humans. Art, music, culture, nothing is left, just commercialism. Everything that was once unique and beautiful in this world is dead. Most humans have lost the ability to create, Dib! Most of the population is dumb as a rock and those who still have a smidgen of spirit left are eventually going to die out. Even the Earth itself has lost its beauty, the plants aren't as vibrant or lively, even the fucking rain is poisonous now!" Liz tugged harshly on her braid as she ranted becoming more and more frustrated. Dib just stared not wanting to believe her, but unable to deny what she was saying.

"It's not that bad," Dib mumbled feeling somehow defensive. "I'm not affected by all that stuff."

"Of course not, you're a Membrane. Our bloodline is strong against the demons whether we wanted it to be or not," she said mumbling the last so Dib almost didn't hear it and he had been about to question what she meant when Zim suddenly came to a horrible revelation.

"Liz-human," Zim said slowly. "You meant to say that all this time Zim has been trying to conquer humans that have already been conquered, and yet still I have not been able to complete my mission?"

Liz's face softened and Dib blinked at Zim realizing what this information meant to the already incompetent invader. "Zim..." Liz started obviously feeling pity for the alien. Zim must have picked up on it and with his pride it was too much for him.

"The filthy Earth-worm lies! _YOU LIE!_" Zim pointed as he shouted at her then promptly ran off the skool roof using his PAK legs to scale down the building. Skoodge stared after Zim and looked back to Liz looking lost at what he should do.

"Maybe I should have worded that a little less harsh," Liz said regretfully and Dib suddenly found himself angry. Liz, a fellow human, his _ancestor_, was more worried about an alien invader's hurt feelings than she was about helping humanity.

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Dib asked his voice sounded a bit hard to even him. "If you know so much about all this why not stop it?"

"Honestly, I thought you figured it out, but that you were like Gaz and just didn't care."

"Why wouldn't I care? I spent my whole life trying to stop an alien invasion only to find out we have already been invaded by demons? How do I stop it? How do we make things right again?" Dib demanded to know.

"What's the point, Dib?" Liz rounded on him. "Yes, maybe its possible to stop the demons from taking life force from the humans, but then what? You can't reverse this kind of stupidity. Most people are just genuinely stupid and those who are smart are so blind they can't see what's right in front of their eyes. Demons run the entertainment industry and all the corporations which means they are ruling everyone and everyone loves it. Get rid of the demons and you destroy everyone's happiness, so then where does that put you Mr. Hero?"

Dib gritted his teeth. This was not what he wanted to hear. "You're a jerk, Liz," he said and like Zim stormed off, however Dib choose to use the stairs.

* * *

><p>"Liz?" Skoodge said tentatively as his antennae were picking up a wide variety of emotions from the human.<p>

"See?" she said turning to him. There was a smile on her face, but she did not look happy and his antennae were telling him the same thing. "He's just proving my point. No one's happy knowing the truth. Ignorance is bliss and maybe I should have kept my mouth shut, but it was just so frustrating. Maybe the spiteful part of myself couldn't stand to see Dib so happy in his ignorance. I really did think that he knew but choose to ignore it. When I found out he didn't I just... was jealous I guess... No. Not jealous," she continued and turned away from him. "Lonely. It made me realize how out of place I am here and how even though Dib is an outcast from everyone, he still belongs here," Liz sighed and rubbed the end of her long braid between her fingers. She grew silent for a moment then turned back to face him.

"Sorry, Skoodge, I didn't mean to dump all that on you. You should probably go after Zim, he'll probably need someone to cheer him up."

"Invaders need no one," Skoodge said as an automatic response, but knew that Liz was right. This was very harsh information for Zim to know that he couldn't even conquer an already conquered species. If anyone knew he would be the laughing stock of Irk. However, Skoodge also knew that trying to encourage Zim would only piss his comrade off. Zim never let things get him down for long, he would find some way to turn this information to his benefit.

Humans, however, were not so resilient. He knew from research that they needed to be around others of their own kind constantly and needed interactions and some sort of acceptance to remain healthy. Even the Dib-human had interactions with his scary sister and his fighting with Zim had to count for social interactions because the human had not yet gone actually insane. He was just labeled that by the other humans who did not know what Dib knew.

Skoodge hadn't seen Liz interact with any of the other human children. She only spoke to Dib, sometimes to his scary sister and to him and Zim. If the Dib was going to outcast Liz Skoodge was worried about her need for interactions. She made it clear in the beginning that their alliance was for information exchange, information that she would be sharing with Dib. If she no longer needed information then their alliance would no longer be needed and she would stop interacting with him. That thought made his squeedlyspooch lurch in a most uncomfortable way.

Liz was his human. He would not allow her to back out of their treaty. And if she tried he would simply do as any Irken would, he would break the alliance first and conquer her instead. However, he had no idea how to conquer an individual as Irkens tended to think large scale. He could enslave her, but Liz being a drone was not appealing to him. There had to be something else, some other way to make the human belong to him without rewiring her brain, he knew there was, he could feel it in his spooch. He just didn't know what it was. Until he figured it out he would just have to make sure she didn't break her alliance with him, and for that to happen she needed to continue having interactions with the Dib.

She sighed loudly bringing him out of his thoughts. "Screw skool, I'm going home. I'm going to sleep all day while I wait for Dib to cool down. I need to find someway to patch things up," she said and Skoodge vigorously nodded his agreement. She rested her hand on his shoulder and the contact sent a zing through his spine. "You should find Zim, make sure he isn't destroying stuff that could get himself hurt. And Skoodge?" at her inquisitive tone Skoodge leaned his head towards her to show he was actively listening.

In the shoes she was wearing she was taller than normal. Usually he was a head taller than her but now her eyes were level with his chin. Tilting her head and quickly moving forward she placed her lips against his cheek for a brief moment. As she pulled away her lips moved slightly against his skin and he felt how soft they were and he heard a small noise from the lips' movement. "Thanks for listening," she said softly then left down the same stairs Dib had.

Skoodge stood frozen in place as a slight tingling sensation still lingered on his cheek. Again he hadn't been prepared for the action and had not been able to fully catalog the sensations into his PAK. He would have to get Liz to repeat this gesture as well, for informational purposes.

He was the last one standing on the roof and it took Skoodge a moment to realize this before he too used his PAK legs to scale down the building and go find Zim. And while he didn't realize it himself had anyone been watching they would have seen the huge grin splitting his face.

* * *

><p><strong>So now the truth is out! What will Zim and Dib do? What other changes are in store for Skoodge? haha. lame of me I know. Next chapter next Sunday. <strong>


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello! I was planning on posting this a a bit earlier but Super Bowl happened and as a New England-er I am obligated to be excited about the Patriots winning and stuff. Woo. Sports. Sidenote: I actually understand most of what happens on the field in football thanks to my Dad who patiently has been answering all my repeating questions over the years. lol. **

**ngrey651 brought up a point that I wanted to address. Liz and Dib have very different view points on what is right and wrong. Dib is a very moral person, as seen in the show when he does what he thinks is right even when he doesn't want to (See Room with a Moose episode and the bus scene). Liz, having been raised by, well, the mafia, isn't a very moral person. That isn't to say she doesn't have morals, it's just that her morals are a bit skewed. She can be selfish and she can be self-sacrificing, it just depends on the circumstances. Dib will always choose the moral path, he may flounder and contemplate, but his character is a moral one which is where a lot of his inner turmoil about his 'feelings' for Zim come from. Also, Dib has no idea about Liz's and therefore his, Family's history so look forward to a _lot_ of inner conflict for Dib when (if) he discovers that bit of information. **

**(Ps. I love conversations about right and wrong and morals and who decides what 'right' is and how to judge or who has the right to judge what is 'evil' and 'good', but that would take up too much space for me to write here and would make me feel silly. :P It is a very interesting topic though. Those interested should take a philosophy class or a cultural psychology class. Very thought provoking stuff.)**

**Anyhoo, back to the story. Enjoy the chapter. You get a bit more of Zim's POV in this one. **

* * *

><p>Liz did exactly as she said she would and left skool even though there was still half a day. However, from the moans coming down the hall from the nurse's office she imagined that not many would notice her absence. Not everyone was able to take on the plug that linked them to the demon world, or maybe those getting sick were the ones that hadn't been connected yet and this was the initial reaction to it. Whatever the case Liz had no problems leaving skool grounds. Dib's car was gone, but it was sunny out so she had no issues walking home.<p>

She didn't even get lost this time, as she was prone to do when going places on her own. Getting lost wasn't always a bad experience as that was how she found Giovanni's shop, but today she wasn't in the mood for random excursions. Opening the front door Liz was surprised to find Gaz sitting on the couch playing on her Game Slave.

"You left early too?" Liz observed.

"New online level came out today," Gaz said simply as she swept her thumbs across the buttons.

"Oh," Liz put down her bag by the stairs to bring up to her room later and went to sit next to Gaz on the couch. Dib's car wasn't in the driveway so he wasn't home yet. She watched Gaz for a moment before speaking. "Gaz, what would you do if I told you that the world has been taken over by demons, that they are slowly siphoning energy from the human race to feed themselves and keeping humanity complacent by controlling them through mass media, thereby slowly lowering their intelligence over time?"

"I'd tell you to shut up because I need to clear this level," Gaz replied shortly.

"What about if I told you that your ancestors were notorious criminals, but were also top grade exorcists and demon hunters? That I had been groomed to be a demon hunter but for selfish reasons decided that I didn't want that kind of life? And that now three hundred years later even knowing that the demons have finally won, I still have no desire to fight for humanity?"

Gaz paused her game and lowered it to glare at Liz. "You and Dib are a lot alike. Neither of you know when to leave me alone. I don't care about your identity crisis. I don't care about the past. I don't care about anything at this moment but finishing this level. So why don't you just do whatever you want as long as it is away from me."

Liz blinked at Gaz, but then smiled. "Thanks, Gaz. That means a lot to me." In so many words Gaz just told her that they were family and that Liz should do what she wanted to do in her life and not worry about what others wanted her to do.

Gaz snorted then un-paused her game. "Go upstairs and sort out all the crap the lab brought over for you. That should keep you busy for a while."

"Stuff? From the lab?" Liz repeated a giddy feeling filling her chest.

"Did I stutter?" Gaz snapped, tried of this conversation and annoyed that Liz was still talking to her during an important battle.

With a squee of delight Liz bolted upstairs, down the hall and into her room. There in the middle was a small neat pile of trunks and cases. Ignoring the trunks Liz pulled out two cases, one small and one larger. Liz had to resist the urge to roll around on the ground in delight like she had seen GIR do once before. She opened the two cases and almost cried as she ran her hands over the contents. Choices. Choices. Which one first? Finally choosing the small of the two Liz resealed the case and went downstairs.

Liz had no doubt that if she disturbed Gaz's concentration again doom would be rained upon her. Not wanting to take any chances Liz quietly left the house. Small case clutched to her chest she stared down the driveway trying to decide the best place to go. What she wanted to do was illegal now so she had to go someplace hidden. The woods connected to the park seemed like her best bet. Skipping happily down the road swinging her case, Liz made her way to the park.

* * *

><p>Zim used his PAK legs to swiftly scale down from the roof. His mind was in a whirl with this new information and he needed space to think away from the sensory overload of the horrible skool building. Darting down allies he ran, jumped and climbed his way discreetly back to his base.<p>

At his approach the door swung open allowing him to enter without breaking his speed. Not wanting to wait for the elevator, he leapt down the tunnel under the couch using his PAK legs to lower himself down. Once in his lab he raced over and slammed his fist on the computer's console.

"Computer!" He barked. "Display all data on demons."

Silently the computer displayed the data and Zim scanned through it effortlessly. Much of it he already knew, the FBI was founded by demons, that he found a hideous ham demon which proved to be a slight challenge, but in the end ran off. There was that time in the alternate dimension in the Dib's head as well, one which still made him shudder. From then on he made sure to hide deep in his lab when the Halloweenies came out. But nothing about the demons taking over the humans. Skoodge had the data in his PAK about the dookie sample and had yet to download it into the computer's system.

Zim plugged his PAK into the computer to add the information the Liz-human told him. "Computer, analyze this data and compute the probability that this is true."

The computer silently did as he was told as he knew his master was not in the mood for feedback or questions. The computer was very intrigued with this new data, not about the demons but about the the data his master's PAK had about this 'Liz'. Skoodge rarely updated his PAK's memory into the computer or only downloaded specific data. This was expected as the computer existed to assist his master and thus had no need to back up another Irken's data.

So it was new information to him that this 'Liz', the one who knew about music, was in fact from a time period before the first and hidden internet was shut down. Now having a full name and a face to add into his data the computer was able to scan the old internet for information on this 'Liz' while also looking for the answers his master wanted.

"**Processing**..." The computer said as he searched through the old internet for more information on demons as 'Liz' seemed to be knowledgeable on the subject. There had to be more data available on the old internet as opposed to the human information services that were active now. When he found the data, even the computer was surprised.

"**There is a 98.9 percent probability that this information is true,**" the computer said. "**Demon activity was reported as active over 300 years ago by certain earth organizations, one being the Membrane Family, whose criminal history and violent practices led many to believe their involvement with demons. However, there were a few reports of the Membrane Family being called and contacted to help fight demonic influences in the Earth's government. Records also show that 300 years ago started the decline in the Family's influence and power and that there were reports of increased demonic sightings.**

"**Simultaneously there was a rise in the influence in the field of medicine and science founded by a Dizwald Membrane. In the last one hundred years all data and reports about demons has been erased from active Earth information centers. There is currently a drastic increase in earth pollution and a sharp decrease in intelligence as compared to data from 300 years ago. Which leads to the high probability of a demonic take over of the human race.**"

"No!" Zim slammed his fists on the keyboard. "I must conquer this planet for my Tallest! Computer, list possible strategies."

"**Um... Conquer the demons?**" the computer ventured.

"Yes!" Zim shouted and jumped up on his chair. "That is the reason why my plans never worked. They were much too superior for those puny humans. If I conquer the demons then I will also control the humans. No invader has ever conquered another dimension! The Tallest must have known this when they sent me here. I should have known something wasn't right when none of my plans worked," Zim threw back his head and laughed manically.

If the computer had eyes he would have rolled them. His master had long since stop trying to seriously take over the earth and instead focused on fighting the human known as 'Dib'. If he waited long enough the computer was sure his master would tire of trying to fight demons and go back to fighting the human. In the mean time it meant more work for the computer and less time he could spend probing the old internet for information. He hoped his master tired quickly of his new plan.

His mind settled Zim whistled to himself happily as he rode the elevator back up to the ground level of his base. He would return to skool and flaunt his new plan to Liz-human and taunt the Dib with his own inability to recognize that his planet had been taken over.

As Zim made his way back he passed the park and behind a bush he spotted the all too familiar lock of scythe-like hair. Creeping up behind and into the bush he had been about to burst out and scare the teen when he heard him sigh out a name in frustration.

"Liz."

Zim scowled at the name and the way the Dib said it. It reminded Zim of how annoyed he had been lately. And especially today in the human cafeteria. The Liz human had this horrible ability to make the blood-candies rush to the Dib's face and make him release this particular kind of chemical scent Zim found intriguing. It was released when Dib was uncomfortable or upset and Zim liked seeing him in this state, but it was vexing when another filthy human was able to do the same to the Dib. It also drew his attention away from the amazing Zim.

Dib was Zim's to torment and destroy. It was utterly insulting that another human was able to elicit such a reaction from the human. Zim was a superior species and the reactions he drew from his enemy should not be on the same level as another smelly human, even if Liz was smarter than the other humans.

There was this specific type of scent Dib released around Zim that made his antennae itch to gather up the scent. But what was really starting to irk Zim was that around the Liz-human his Dib-enemy released that same scent and much stronger. It happened whenever the Liz-human spoke or smiled in a particular way. And Zim HATED it.

Zim was Dib's enemy and Zim was so amazing that there should be no room for thoughts about other pig-smellies in the Dib's head as large as it was. His head should be filled with Zim. Zim should be the only thing causing him grief and torment. To allow another human to affect him in such a way was insulting to the invader.

Dib sighed loudly again and dropped his head to rest on the back of the bench, his scythe-lock slipping into the bush, poking Zim's forehead. This also infuriated Zim. He was so close to his enemy, even touching him, and yet his head was so full of other thoughts that he didn't even sense Zim. Dib always knew when Zim was close, as annoying as this ability was it was even more annoying when Dib wasn't aware of him.

Unable to keep quite about this indignant attitude Zim grabbed the scythe-lock firmly in his gloved hand and yanked down to keep Dib's head firmly pressed against the bench, at the same time he stood quickly and leaned over the teen's face shouting, "DIB-BEAST!"

His efforts were rewarded with a surprised yelp at the tug and then a startled and garbled scream of "ARGCK!" as Zim's face popped up over his. "Zim!" Dib yelled angrily trying and failing to lift his head. "What the hell is wrong with you!?" He flailed around on the bench not remembering that he was fully capable of reaching back to hit Zim.

"What is wrong with you, Dib-stink?" Zim countered just as angry.

This comment seemed to confuse Dib instead of further challenge him as Zim had intended it to because he stopped trying to escape and just stared. "Why are you asking what's wrong with me?"

"You are thinking about the Liz-human and you should be thinking about Zim and your eventual doom!"

Dib scowled up at him. "In case you didn't hear, the human race has already been doomed. Everything I've done up to this point has just been useless and Liz knew from the beginning. She was probably laughing at my ignorance the whole time. And she doesn't even care! How can she not care about her own people!?"

"Why should she care about these stupid Earth-monkeys?" Zim said squinting one eye at Dib for asking such a stupid question. "She has no ties to them. All the humans she knew are dead as you all live short inferior lives. And why should you care? What have these disgusting humans done for you? You are an outcast Dib-beast," Zim said mockingly. "A...A pig in a field of sheep!" Zim threw back his head and laughed, liking the example he had come up with, combining what the Liz said and what he thought about the humans.

"I never thought of it like that," Dib said softly causing Zim to scowl down at Dib for not reacting to his insult. "Of course Liz feels detached. Three hundred years ago humanity must have looked much different. I couldn't even imagine if I went into the future only to discover all my family was long dead and my species nothing more than stupid complacent... sheep," Dib whispered the last finally coming to terms with that truth.

The more he thought about Liz's words, the more it made sense. No one in their right mind would ever believe Zim's excuse of a skin condition, but humans today weren't in their right minds. The question was why his family seemed to be immune, what was it about being a Membrane that made him special? He'd have to research that.

"I have to apologize," Dib said aloud. "I said some mean things to her, she must be upset. Then together we'll find someway to fix this."

"Eh?" Zim said releasing Dib's hair. "Stupid Dib, the Liz-monkey isn't affected by your pitiful words. So your head should be unaffected as well. Ignore the Liz and fight _ZIM! _Fight me!"

Dib sat up and turned around on the bench to face Zim standing in the bush. "How would you know about how humans react to things Zim?"

"She's right over there," Zim said pointing with his black gloved hand. Dib turned to look in the direction Zim pointed. The two watched as on the other side of the park Liz skipped down the path swinging an oddly shaped case. Indeed she looked very cheerful. As she neared the center clearing where a few street performers had gathered she slowed down to watch. One performer was playing a banjo and she waved at him and he nodded in return.

Suddenly an officer came running into the park's center a flashing red light on his head. They were too far away to hear what the officer was saying but he immediately began pointing and grabbed the banjo man who then began screaming. The other performers scattered as the police officer pulled out handcuffs. Dib stood up with his mouth hanging open as he watched Liz sprint up and do a leaping kick to the officer's back. Thrown off balance the officer let go of the banjo man who ran away quickly. From across the park they were able to hear Liz cry out: "Be free Banjo Man!"

The officer picked himself off the ground and turned to face Liz, his red light still flashing. Liz made a face at him then run across the park with the officer following behind waving his handcuffs at her.

Dib jumped up, "Liz!" he went to run after her but a sharp tug at his collar had him jerked back almost choking him. "Ack, Zim! What the hell?" Dib said angrily as Zim had stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going, _Dib_?" Zim scowled at him.

"Liz is in trouble," Dib said.

"You shouldn't be worried your Liz-relative, instead you should be more worried about your own doom!" Zim said a dark grin on his face.

Dib swallowed feeling a mix of fear and adrenaline. He and Zim hadn't had a fight in a long time and Zim was serious. If Dib didn't fight back with all he had he would find himself stuck in a tube of goo or locked away in Zim's lab for the next few days. Suddenly an image of himself strapped to a table with Zim hovering over him entered Dib's mind and with Dib's new awareness of his feelings the mental image was a little less than innocent. Blushing hard he jumped up from the bench to at least give him some distance which would hopefully help calm his raging hormones.

Zim noticed the slight difference in Dib's scent. He could sense the fear and excitement which usually meant that Dib was seriously going to fight him like an enemy should. Zim's presence was sharpening Dib's senses and putting his body into attack mode. Zim grinned widely at this. _This _is what made Dib a useful enemy. The Dib was sharper, quicker, and more intelligent than any other foe, which in turn made Zim sharper, quicker and more intelligent as he had to attack and counter what his enemy gave back. Each time Dib lasted longer and longer before Zim could finally overpower him. The rush Zim felt during such moments of triumph was nothing less than exhilarating.

Zim lived for that moment of victory, needed it, _craved _it, and lately because of Liz Dib was spending less time thinking of Zim. Then there was this new element added into the Dib-stink's scent. Zim first noticed it when he cornered the Dib-beast in the ally a few months back and after that periodically when talking to Liz. Zim knew the scent meant something about a human's emotional state, most of the time he could figure out what emotions humans were feeling based on what the scents were; angry, happy, sad, scared. Irkens could feel these too (thought they had much more control over their emotions) so he knew the chemical scents for all the icky-feelings, but this scent, this scent was one he had never come in contact with on Irk.

When Dib released this scent around Liz, Zim felt that this scent was _HORRIBLE._ But now... now when the Dib's attention was solely on Zim, when Zim could sense the delicious excited fear, this scent made him feel... powerful and _AMAZING. _Dib-stink should be making this scent all the time around Zim, not around anyone else. No one else was as powerful and amazing as himself and it was time to remind Dib of this.

Zim gracefully climbed over the bench never taking his eyes off Dib, keeping his prey pinned with his gaze. Dib took a few more steps back, shifting his footing to a steadier position, ready to react to however Zim would attack. Zim crouched in front of the bench like a coiled spring waiting for the moment to strike. Everything faded away as the two faced each other. Their worlds narrowed down to each other.

A feminine scream split the air shattering the illusion and Dib did the unspeakable: he turned away. Pure white hot rage filled Zim. How _DARE_ Dib show such disrespect to him! TO ZIM! It didn't matter that to escape the human authorizes Liz dove under a bush, the same bush his flower monster lived in. It didn't matter that her presence awoken the sleeping, curled up and hidden beast, which had once again grown to a monstrous size, a towering two stories tall. Dib should not care that the flower grabbed Liz by her ankle with one of its newly grown vine tentacles and was dangling the teenage girl upside-down in the air. The only thing Dib should be focused on was his doom, not anyone else's. Why should Liz draw his attention when right in front of him was the amazing Zim?

Fury. Blinding rage and a new emotion filled Zim. He did not like this feeling and it was the Dib's fault. He shouldn't have turned. No one turned their back on Zim. _NO ONE! _

Dib, for his part, had been filled with confusing and conflicting emotions about fighting Zim. He had to admit that he liked fighting, the rush of it no matter how he tried to justify it was incredible. Zim made him faster, smarter, and stronger. But that feeling had morphed into something more now, something that made him feel powerless, unsure, meek when he was in front of Zim. The two clashing feelings were at war in his body and mind, so when he heard the scream it was just the distraction the third part of his mind, the part that like to run away from emotional problems, was looking for.

Normally nothing could never take his mind off of Zim. Hell, he even forgot about Liz that one time at skool, but in his emotional turmoil he hadn't been thinking clearly, hadn't been 100% focused on the fight, and that had been his greatest mistake.

His only warning was a crackling sound from behind him, but before he could turn to react he felt something jab him in the back and his body jerked at the intense amount of electricity jumping through his body. Before he blacked out one thought filtered through his mind: _Shit, I'm fucked._

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><p>"...p...up...UP... WAKE UP FILTHY HUMAN!" the voice finally pierced through Dib's unconsciousness jolting him awake, or it could have been the repeated slaps to his face.<p>

"I'm up!" Dib shouted back angrily still foggy-minded as to why he was being awakened so roughly. There was a blinding light making him squint, so he had no idea what his surroundings were. As his mind gained awareness he realized that his wrists were bound together and held up above him, holding him upright. It was painful so Dib gained his footing and stood, the slack letting him bring his hands down to almost eye-level, but it was enough to block some of the light so he could see that, yes, his hands were bound by metal bonds. The rest of his brain had caught up at this point, relaying to him what had previously happened.

"ZIM!" Dib shouted out at the blinding light. He knew the green alien was close, as he had just been slapping and shouting at him a moment ago. Besides no one else would want to kidnap him, even if his father was rich and famous. Which, now that Dib thought about it, was weird that no one _had _tired to kidnap him as a kid for ransom or something. Of course that would mean someone would have had to noticed him first, and no one did. _Nice,_ Dib thought darkly to himself, _Way to keep positive, me. _

He didn't stay focused on his dark thoughts long as this situation begged for more attention. Being restrained wasn't new, Zim tied him up all the time. _Hot, _the thought filtered through his mind. _Gah! Stop it brain! I get enough teasing from Liz I don't need to do it to myself too!_ Dib scowled into the light. His hormonal brain needed to stop finding innuendos in everything he thought about, especially since his usual jacket and shirt were gone leaving Dib bare from the waist up, which was something the invader had never done before.

"What are you up to, Zim?" Dib yelled out. _Heh, 'up to', _his hormonal self thought. "GAH!" Dib cried out yanking on the bonds holding his wrists and generally flailing about as much as he could. Seriously, what was _wrong_ with him? That shock must have damaged his brain.

"Calm down, _Dib_," Zim said stepping into the light, causing the brightness to dim enough for Dib to see clearly. He was without his disguise and had one fist planted at his hip and one ruby eye squinted at him. "I haven't even done anything yet," he said in a 'what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-you' kind of tone.

"What's your plan, Zim?" Dib said easily slipping into their usual banter. "And where is my jacket... and shirt?" he demanded trying to sound fierce despite the blush he knew was forming.

"I have disposed of your disguising Earth garb," Zim said.

"Hey," Dib said his voice sounding more mopey. "I liked that jacket."

"LIES!" Zim jabbed him in the gut with a black-gloved claw. "Nothing is more important than _Zim!_"

"Ow! Zim!" Dib protested the treatment and lashed out with his foot trying to kick the invader. Zim jumped back easily avoiding Dib's clumsy kick. Dib glared at him and Zim grinned unnerving him a little. "W-What's going on, Zim?"

"What's going on, _Dib_," Zim spat out his name, but said the rest with a wicked grin. "Is that you need to be reminded about who your enemy is."

"I know who my enemy is _Zim_," Dib said the alien's name the same way as he glared. "I'll always stop you from..." Dib trailed off, his expression softening as confusion settled across his face. He stared down at the purple metal floor as he thought and came to an uncomfortable realization. "Do I need to stop you?" he said out loud without realizing it. "Demon overlords, alien overlords, is there a difference? At least the aliens would be upfront about it, but is being slaves any better than being _livestock_? Have I just been fighting a meaningless battle?"

"NO!" Zim screeched and harshly backhanded Dib across the face, snapping his head to the side. Dib blinked as the pain subsided then glared back at the fuming alien. "You are Zim's enemy. _Mine!_" Zim stomped down on a button on the floor causing the bonds connected to Dib's wrists to tighten and pull him up so he was barely touching the ground with his boots.

"Demons did not make this," Zim pointed to a scar on Dib's shoulder where Zim's PAK leg had caught him once. "Or this," he pointed to a scar along his stomach from a horrible explosion Zim caused using beavers and shaving cream. "And this," he traced with his gloved claw the long burn scar across Dib's chest from one of Zim's lasers. "No demon made this. These are scars _I _gave you, _me, ZIM_! You are not being controlled by some distinguish demon. You fight because _I _make you fight, and I am _AMAZING_!" Zim shouted in his weirdly deep toned voice. He then came really close to Dib's face, making the hormonal teenager sweat, as bright pools of bottomless red filled Dib's vision.

"Nothing," the invader said in a quiet voice, which was scary as hell, "I do is meaningless." He trailed his black glove back over Dib's scar and Dib repressed a shudder. "These prove to everyone that you are my enemy. Mine to hurt, mine to destroy. _Mine._ Property of Zim," he said pulling back and stepping back out of the light, which brightened to a blinding level again. "A fact, Dib-mine," his voice echoed eerily from metallic walls, "That you need to be reminded of."

Dib might have paid attention to the new nickname Zim said, if it weren't for the various sharp and dangerous looking tools descending from the ceiling leaving Dib absolutely terrified.

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><p><strong>Uh nos! Poor Dib. Hang in there Dib (haha super bad pun), couldn't help myself. Hope this chapter explained a bit more of Zim's behavior and how he's slowly starting to react to the changes in Dib and therefore starting to change slightly himself. However, they are both very slow and their relationship build-up will happen but at a pace I think best fits their characters in this fanfic. Honestly, in this world i don't think their relationship would ever change if not for something or someone influencing them. Which is why Liz's and Skoodge's friendshiprelationship is progressing faster than theirs. Liz has no qualms about being forward and open, and flirty. Dib, on the other hand, would probably choose to be eaten by the loch ness monster before openly flirting with Zim...at this point anyway ;3 **

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks again for all the reviews, follows and favorites!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello! This chapter focuses on Liz and Skoodge and some...developments. I'll also explain a little of my headcanon idea for Irken biology/growth at the end. **

**And don't worry ngrey651, I do plan on making this ZADR and it couldn't happen if Zim did something really horrible to Dib. Right now Zim is just frustrated and confused and therefore angry when it comes to Dib, but he wouldn't do anything too extreme. **

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><p>Liz clutched the case to her chest and scowled as the useless cop continued to scream in a high-pitched feminine squeal, that was until the flower monster grabbed the cop on another vine and flung the screaming man into its open mouth at the center of the daisy. People in the park ran around in circles screaming as the flower monster lashed out with its vine tentacles trying to sweep up or flatten the people running around it. Because Liz wasn't making any noise it had mostly forgotten that it had her in one of its vines.<p>

Liz was starting to get frustrated, she could easily get free, if she weren't so worried about her precious case. The stupid flower kept swinging her around and she was sure if she loosened her grip the force would send it flying out of her hands and crashing to the ground. No one was being much of a help on the ground either.

She was about to give up on getting help when she heard a concerned little "Meep?" next to her head. Mini Moose hovered near her, his normally happy and goofy eyes, straight and focused on her with concern.

"M&M!" Liz cried happily. When she discovered the little moose's name she felt weird calling him that, it was like naming a dog "Dog", so she started calling him by a nickname instead and he didn't seem to mind. "Hold this for me, it's fragile don't let GIR near it," Liz instructed placing the case in the cradle of Mini Moose's antlers once the flower monster had stilled its vine enough for Liz to hand it over.

Below her Liz heard a familiar high pitched happy squeal and she saw GIR running around somehow easily evading the vines as the flower monster did its best to try and squash the noisy thing. GIR must have thought it was a game because he never ran out of the vine's reach and after it missed a few times he latched onto the vine giving it a hug. This infuriated the flower and it tried to shake the metallic thing off its tentacle with no luck. While it was distracted Liz reached into her boots to get at the secret pocket Giovanni specially made and pulled out a small thin dagger, no bigger than a pocket knife.

Jabbing the blade into the vine the flower monster reacted to the pain by screeching and loosening its grip on her, twisting mid air Liz was able to land and drop into a roll so she didn't break anything. She rolled to her feet and dashed far enough away to avoid the pissed off vines.

Liz planned on just walking away. She didn't care if the giant flower went on a rampage. Unlike Dib she felt no connection to these people, and even when people weren't brainwashed complacent sheep she still didn't care for those outside of her Family. Because if she did care she would have inherited the Head position and took up where her mother left off in fighting against demons... for a price of course. They didn't run a charity after all. Many called her Family selfish, but doing good deeds wasn't their style. Membranes took care of their own, everyone else could fend for themselves.

_Those were good times, _she thought wistfully. Officially, she had never been allowed to do Family work, but most of the time she found a way to include herself. She knew her actions greatly confused the Family's members, because she loved the mafia work, but showed no interest in leading it. Liz sighed. She should have tried harder to sneak into more events in her last year, but Dizzy had officially cut ties with the Family when she got sick. It relieved them of any responsibilities and he did all the work to pass on the torch for her but that meant they couldn't rely on the Family for help either.

She loved the Family, she loved the lifestyle, the people, and the perks but she understood her brother's decision. He couldn't get into the medical field with a dark shadow hanging over him. Even if they weren't in the position for leadership, should anything happen, the Family came first, which meant pausing in his research to help.

The Family understood his decision and they wanted him to find a cure for her just as much as Dizzy did. But she still missed seeing everyone in those last days, though she was positive that the Family bent their rules a little and might have pressed a few influenced individuals to help fund Dizzy's research without directly getting involved. Of course that might have been prompted by her subtly dropping hints about his financial concerns to the members when they came to visit her in the hospital as concerned 'family' members.

Smiling still, Liz shook her head and wondered if Dizzy had ever suspected anything. She loved her brother but he was a bit like Dib in that regard and didn't quite notice the subtle things going on around him.

Glancing down Liz saw something that instantly snapped her out of her thoughts about the past and her melancholy mood. Her brand new, custom, high heel, black leather boots-boots that were a symbol for all that she loved about the mafia life and her Family-were slightly eroded. The leather at the ankle, where the flower monster had grabbed her was worn down and about to give out like she had worn the boots for years. This just got personal.

"M&M, stay here and keep that case safe for me," Liz said her voice firm and very very controlled.

"Meep!" Mini Moose said not hearing or not caring about the contained rage in Liz's voice.

Liz stared at the demonic looking daisy whipping its vine tentacles around and making weird screeching sounds as it lashed out at the screaming pedestrians as well as trying to shake GIR off. Not moving her eyes she took a firmer grip on her dagger and walked purposefully but steady towards the monster. Every so often one of its vines lashed dangerously close to her but she knew where to walk to avoid the random lashing. It hadn't noticed her approach as she wasn't running or screaming, if it had eyes it might have seen the look of rage on her face and done its best to stop her.

Easily maneuvered through the shrubbery Liz stood by the flower's stalk. Despite its monstrous size the stalk connecting the flower to the ground wasn't that thick, about the thickness of her fist. However, higher up near the flower it was about as thick as her arm-span. Switching the grip on her dagger Liz cleanly cut though the stalk in one swift and forceful stroke. It was just a flower after all and the blade was pretty sharp.

She pushed lightly on the stalk and it began to topple letting out a screech as it did so. Liz paid it no mind and pushed aside the bushes to walk back to Mini Moose not once looking back at the flower as it crashed to the ground. Out of the corner of her eye she could see someone watching her, and Liz hid her smile.

"Thanks, M&M," Liz said plucking her case off Mini Moose's head and in return giving him a good scratch between his antlers.

He made a content "Nyah" and rolled over in the air so she could do the same to his belly. At the ministrations he wiggled his stubby little legs happily. The little floating moose was just so darn cute that Liz lost herself for a moment as she scratched his belly, but a tug at her arm snapped her out of her daze.

"What's this do?" GIR said having jumped onto the case and trying to ride it like a pony. He squealed happily as her arm swung from the sudden extra weight.

"GIR, let go, you're going to pull my arm out from its socket," Liz said sternly, but not unkindly. GIR ignored her and clung tighter to the case. Liz didn't want to let go in fear that GIR would suddenly take off with it and accidentally damage the precious instrument inside. In an effort to distract him Liz asked, "are you done playing with the giant flower?"

GIR stopped swinging and pointed to where the flower monster was shriveling up on the ground. "It's tired. It's takin' a nap!" GIR shouted and finally hopped off her case. "Imma dance now," he proclaimed then began screaming and running around in a circle.

Liz opened her mouth to try and calm the hyperactive robot, but was interrupted but a struggling cry of "Freedom!". The cop the flower swallowed managed to survive and burst from the flower's disintegrating stomach with only minor burns and his uniform in tatters. He instantly spotted Liz as she was the only other person in his view, the flower frightened off all other park goers. All except for the one green individual that snuck closer but hid up in a tree thinking Liz hadn't noticed him yet.

"You, stop right there!" the cop shouted, recognizing her as the girl who disrupted his arrest of the man playing unapproved music in public. No matter how many times he patrolled there were still illegal performers in the park. Every so often he also heard of people bursting out into song at the mall, though that was mall security's job to take care of.

"Shit," Liz swore softly. "Run!" she shouted at GIR and Mini Moose. Not at all worried and happy for the excitement the two chased after her as she booked it through the park, surprisingly fast for wearing high heeled shoes too. Luckily, the cop wasn't that fast or smart and they had been able to easily out run and hide from him in the woods behind the public park. Of course they would have lost the cop a lot sooner, but GIR was pretty loud and kept squealing each time they tried to hide.

Finally rid of the cop, Liz sat down on a log near a small clearing she found. There was just enough room in the clearing for someone to maneuver around easily without fear of tripping over roots. Placing the case on the log Liz searched around in the trees but she couldn't see Skoodge anywhere, either he was hiding really well or he fled when the cop showed up. Either way, it didn't much matter to her, it was just odd for him to hide from her.

She would ponder Skoodge's behavior later, right now there was something else that was more important. Unlatching the case and carefully lifting out the instrument she presented it to GIR and Mini Moose, "This is a violin, isn't it beautiful?" Liz said a bit breathy, the feel of the wood at her fingertips was making her heart race.

"What's it do?" GIR said sticking out his tongue.

"It makes the most beautiful sound in the world," Liz said lovingly. "This is my absolute favorite instrument. I first heard one of the members play one when I was six. After hearing it I demanded that he teach me how to play immediately. Though," Liz smiled wistfully, "no matter how often I practiced or how much I improved over the years, I could never match the quality of sound that Jacks could make. He taught me skill and precision but said my sound would only improve as my passion did." Liz positioned the violin and began tuning it. Even though she wasn't as good as Jacks she still loved to play and at informal functions, before she became sick, she and Jacks would play duets for the other members.

Despite being mafia members many of the guys in their group were talented in other areas as well, she learned how to bake from another member who had a wicked sweet tooth. Her Family encouraged people to be individuals and to be different. The Membrane Family knew that having unique individuals with many different talents only made the group stronger. So her interest in the arts, all kinds of art, was widely encouraged. It let the other members share their hobbies with her. As the boss' daughter it gave them a good chance to get in good favor with her mother. Of course some of the skills they shared weren't always so innocent, like picking locks for example.

Liz finished tuning her violin and the flood of memories washed over her; some good, some sad, some funny, some exhilarating...and that was the feeling Liz latched onto. The first note she extended out slowly, letting the sound linger in the air. GIR and Mini Moose plopped down onto the grass to watch. After the note ended Liz let loose on her violin her fingers and bow flying along the instrument as the upbeat and lively song played. Unable to help herself and feeling almost seduced by her own music's sound Liz began to move, bending her body with the intensity of the song. Closing her eyes Liz danced around the small clearing and let the world fade away from her thoughts. In that moment only she and her violin existed.

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><p>In his tree perch Skoodge watched as Liz opened the case. He peered through the branches to get a good look at what was inside, if it was a new super weapon he might have to tell Zim about it. However, what Liz pulled out didn't look like a weapon.<p>

"This is a violin, isn't it beautiful?" she said in a way that made Skoodge's antennae twitch.

"What's it do?" GIR asked voicing Skoodge's own thoughts. He definitely wanted to know why she was speaking in such a manner, because he liked it.

"It makes the most beautiful sound in the world," she answered. Skoodge watched her eyes as they gazed down the wooden violin. He felt his squeedlyspooch lurch and Skoodge frowned, he wasn't sick or damaged but lately his insides had been behaving strangely. His attention turned inward he missed the rest of what she said but snapped his head up when she rested a stick with a string tied to it against the violin and began to make small sounds, turning little nobs after each stroke.

His antennae twitched under his wig as the subtle sounds vibrated through the air. He saw her shift in her stance and knew that something was going to start. His eyes grew wide as a long and soft sound came from the violin. His eyes were pinned to her face, something about her expression made him slowly climb down from the tree, but his movements stilled the moment her hands began to move.

The sound! The vibrations in the air. He couldn't describe the sensation he was feeling, but this sound was affecting him somehow. His insides lurched again and he felt an incredible pull. This had to be the 'music' Liz spoke of. Indeed, it was nothing like he had ever heard before, nothing that was labeled music that he knew of sounded like this.

A light breeze rolled across the clearing picking up Liz's scent and carrying it over to Skoodge. He ripped off his wig and let his antennae wiggle in the air gathering up her scent and the subtle vibrations from the musical sounds. He felt energy, like little currents of lightening, run down from his antennae and through his entire body. It made him feel strong and powerful and... _hungry_. When she began to move, her body twisting, spinning and gracefully gliding around, Skoodge could feel himself salivate. He removed his contacts so he could sharpen his vision as the contacts were itchy and it helped him better focus on her.

It was odd, this sensation, this gnawing feeling. It made his senses sharpen and focus, but solely onto her. Her scent, the way she moved, it was like she was calling to him, drawing him out, he felt this intense need of wanting to be closer. So he moved, silent and agile across the clearing, like he was stalking prey.

In a moment of weird clarity, Skoodge realized he was doing exactly that. He was hunting her, his invader blood wanted him to claim her as his own. He had to have her. She needed to belong to him. And she must have known this as well, because everything she was doing was pulling him in, she was making him want to possess her. He would have her, his prey, his human. He didn't want to kill her, no he wanted her to be alive and alert, but he couldn't fathom why. Where did his overwhelming need to own her come from? It was different from anything he had ever felt before.

Skoodge watched as Liz spun gracefully and arched her back as her music peaked in intensity. He reached were GIR and Mini Moose were sitting watching her and in low tones ordered them back to the base. GIR turned red in salute and then scampered off into the woods. The defective SIR unit probably wouldn't make it back to the base until much later, it was prone to getting distracted. Either way it didn't matter to him, he just didn't want any interruptions or anything else around. He needed to satisfy this sensation he was feeling and the key to doing so was with Liz. He crept closer using his PAK legs to move silently as he mimicked the motions of her body, moving forward when she stepped back and moving back when she stepped nearer, he followed her across the clearing.

The music peaked in intensity one last time and Liz slid the string across the violin slowly, drawing out the final sound before she stopped moving entirely. Her eyes were half-lidded and the look on her face had Skoodge drawing closer. Her scent was strong and he flicked his tongue out to see if he could taste it. Yes, spicy, sweet, salty, and something more, something he had no word for but the taste was intoxicating. He could feel his PAK analyzing the scent, whirring and actively shifting internally. Something in him was on the verge of changing, something that had to do with this scent Liz was giving off. He needed more.

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><p>Liz let the last notes of her violin linger in the air as she let herself bask in the afterglow she always experienced when playing intense music. <em>How long has it been, <em>Liz wondered, _since the last time this sound has been heard? How deep has the demon hold become? It there truly nothing left of a once culturally rich world?_ _If saved would humans know how to get back to their roots or have the demons done their job in turning the populace into sheep? _

Liz sighed. She didn't know. She wanted to be an optimist like Dib, but it wasn't in her to do so. Why should she fight and possibly die in a battle that she had no stake in? She barely liked doing that kind of work in the Family business in the first place, which was one of the reasons she never wanted to be the Head. She knew how draining and unfullfilling that kind of job was from watching her mother. And Mom only fought demons when it was for profit because it was messy, painful, and draining work. But if Dib wanted to go down that path, then she would feel obligated to help him.

"Stop."

A sudden voice startled Liz out of her thoughts and her eyes popped open. She jumped a bit at seeing that someone was standing directly in front of her and became a little annoyed with herself for not noticing, until she realized who it was. "Skoodge? When did...you," she said slowly as she looked up and noticed he wasn't wearing his contacts or wig. He was still wearing the clothes she had chosen for him and the sight of the alien in formal wear was... breathtaking.

The two stalks on his head were pitched forward twitching in the air above her head. The ends of them bent backwards at a sharp angle. She resisted the urge to reach up and touch them. They were a very deep very dark black color, they weren't shiny like bug antennae, but had an almost soft looking texture. Realizing that staring might be impolite Liz brought her eyes down to meet Skoodge's, and ended up getting lost in their deep red color, like some sort of swirling living jewel, they amazed her as much as the first time she saw them. Unable to look away but needed some sort of distraction from the suave alien standing within grabbing distance Liz asked, "Um, stop what, Skoodge?"

One of his antennae flicked out then back, "The scent was fading, but it returned," he said stepping closer and invading her personal space.

Scents. Scents. Why did that strike a weird memory? Oh, yeah, that time Dib was freaking out about Zim picking up on his attraction to the alien. Was Skoodge picking up on the same thing in her? Was she attracted to him in the same was Dib was to Zim? _Oh, hell, yes._ Liz thought. _God, he looks so hot in those suspenders and tie. Focus! Focus Liz!_ Liz snapped herself out of her inner thoughts and shifted her footing to give herself more personal space.

"What scent would that be, Skoodge?" Liz asked putting a bit of spunk and sass into her voice, she poked him in the chest with her bow to stop him from advancing.

Skoodge scowled down at her bow. Before she could react a metal tentacle with grabbing claws at the end snatched the bow out of her hand and held it high up in the air. In her shock, a second tentacle grabbed the violin and brought it up to meet her bow. Panic-stricken Liz lunged forward and without thinking hooked an arm around Skoodge's neck as she tried to pull him down and hoist herself up while she reached fruitlessly into the air, her precious instrument out of reach.

"No. No. No. No. Give it back! Don't drop it! Don't break it, please!" Liz begged her sole attention on the fragile violin dangling high up in the air. "Oh, please, please, _please_, be careful."

"If I put it down, will you grant me a request?" Skoodge asked and if Liz had been paying attention she might have heard the amusement in his voice.

"Yes! Yes! Just be careful," she pleaded. Eyes wide with fear she watched as the tentacles lowered and gently placed her violin and bow back into their case then closed and latched it. Once her baby was back inside its cradle of safety Liz gave a relieved sigh and sagged down resting her forehead on Skoodge's shoulder.

It only took a her moment more to realize that while she had been freaking out Skoodge had wrapped his arms around her back, pinning her to him, and somehow moved them back to the treeline. Slightly annoyed that he had manged to get the upper hand on her again Liz put her hands on his chest and pushed back. She manged to tilted back enough to see his face, but his arms around the small of her back kept her efficiently tethered. Liz was about to complain, until she saw the intense look on his face. Something was drastically different about him, the vibe he usually gave off, quiet, serious, and easy-going, had been replaced with a strong serious intensity.

"Um, Skoodge?" Liz ventured.

"Liz," Skoodge began his antennae twitching out in front of him almost touching her head. "This scent you are making, what does it mean?"

"Er, well, I can't really smell my own scents, you know?" Liz said and Skoodge just stared at her, waiting. She usually answered any questions he had about human stuff, and she did know what he was asking she just wasn't sure if he would understand or if she wanted to answer.

She felt his clawed hands open and grip her back slightly, reminding her that he had the upper hand and would most likely not release her until he had his answers.

"But, well, maybe they are emotional things you're picking up on?" Liz guessed and he gave one short nod and waited for her to continue. "Well, I'm feeling a bit happy because I finally have my stuff back."

"No, this is different," Skoodge said. "It increases when you look at me," he flicked his round skinny tongue out. "I want to know why."

Damn, she really was going to have to explain this to him. "I'm a little nervous, you are acting different than usual."

"More, there is something more in this scent," Skoodge pressed and tightened his grip. "It calls me to you, it makes my invader blood burn. How? Why? What is it you are doing?"

Liz blinked at this new information and finally pinpointed what felt different about Skoodge. Before when she flirted it felt like she was teasing an innocent boy, but now he felt older and she had a suspicion that her actions would elicit a greater response. "What favor did you want from me?" Liz asked ignoring his questions.

Skoodge scowled at being ignored but allowed the topic to change Liz wasn't going anywhere, he would get his answers eventually. "Be my human."

"What?" Liz responded automatically, thrown off by the request.

"Belong to me," Skoodge repeated and leaned his face closer as his hand moved up to grab the back of her head and tilt her head to the side. Her scent was stronger along her neck and he flicked his tongue along her skin. Her breath hitched in surprise and he grinned as the scent increased. He couldn't describe the taste of her skin, but it was tart and he liked it.

Liz shoved her hand under his chin pushing him back, he hissed in annoyance until he saw how the blood candies were flushing her face. "Hold up, Skoodge, I'm not about to become a snack for you."

"I don't want to eat you," Skoodge said.

"Well, what do you want?" Liz asked. "If I belong to you, what do you want with me? I'm not about to become anyone's slave."

"Slave?" Skoodge played around with that idea in his head, but it wasn't exactly what he wanted. He didn't know what he wanted Liz for, just that he wanted her to belong to him. "No. Not a slave. I don't know why, but I want you to be mine. Do humans feel this way?"

"Yes, actually, we do, but I don't know if you would understand, but, um," Liz glanced at his arms wrapped around her. "Maybe you would. Tell me, Skoodge, before your people reproduced in tubes what did you do?"

"We always were born from test tubes," Skoodge said but even to him his voice sounded doubtful. He felt his PAK whir at the question but no data came up. However, something else click into place in his PAK and his thinking became a little clearer and he felt his mind shift slightly away from his PAK's memory.

"Well, humans aren't born from test tubes. The feeling of wanting to have one person become yours comes from a desire to find a potential partner, er, mate," Liz explained.

At the word 'mate' Skoodge felt a final shift in his PAK and he felt many of the restrictions and safeguards in its programming breakdown. He felt a shift in his mind too. Before his PAK was his main brain and his biological one secondary, but now he could tell he was thinking with his organic brain and with that came a clearer sense of what he was thinking and what he was sensing. In fact he knew exactly what Liz's scent meant.

In a very superior Irken manner Skoodge skipped puberty completely and just became a fully matured Irken adult. The only one, Skoodge mused, in the entire Irken race.

"The scent you are making means you wish to mate with me as well?" Skoodge asked wanting to clarify this new information. He grinned as her whole face flushed red.

"A potential interest," Liz clarified then she realized what he said. "Do you wish to mate with me?"

Skoodge thought about that with his new knowledge. "I feel a pull towards you, I don't want you to belong to any other male. I like the scent you are giving. I like the feeling I have now holding you. I feel strong and powerful." His antennae flicked as he thought. "But I have no knowledge on how to mate, tell me how."

"Woah, slow down, Skoodge. I never agreed to anything," Liz said pushing against his chest and he scowled and gripped her tighter. "I said that there is a potential feeling. If you are interested in me in that way, there are steps to take."

"What steps?"

"I'm not going to surrender myself easily. If you want me to belong to you, you are going to have to convince me to do so, if you don't convince me and use force I will never truly belong to you," Liz warned. "I might even hate you."

Skoodge frowned. "I don't want that. How do I convince you to surrender to me?"

"I'm not going to tell," Liz scoffed. "Would you tell your enemies how to defeat you?"

"We are enemies now?" Skoodge said a little sadly.

"No," Liz smirked. "But we have shifted to something in-between friends and lovers."

"Love-pigs?" Skoodge said startled. He knew of some human methods to show affection to become love-pigs but he had no idea it had anything to do with mating and human reproduction. He and Zim thought it was just a weird human custom.

"Is that the term now?" Liz mused. "Well, I guess so."

"Should I give you gifts of meat? Will that make you mine?" Skoodge asked.

"What? Meat? Ew, no. You're going to have to figure out that on your own. But I can give you one piece of advise and we can preform a test to see if the potential interest is really present, but you have to let me go."

The idea of releasing her before she agreed to become his did not sit well with Skoodge, but the threat of her hating him should he use more forceful means of conquering her outweighed his dislike. He nodded in agreement and slowly released her from his grasp, but did not back away in fear she would run.

"Good," Liz said putting a space between them. "Now I'll explain a little of what this is going to be like, firstly while we are in this 'potential' period neither one of us will seek out potentials in others, but we each have the right to end this 'potential' period and go back to having no interest in each other, understood?" Liz said and waited for his nod. "Next, if you want me to want to be with you, you are going to have to sway my feelings to _want_ to be with you. There are other physical steps to take to bond us to one another, but the emotional and mental piece of us _wanting_ to do this comes first. Understood?"

Skoodge nodded once then paused and shook his head, he did not understand. "This is very complicated."

"Yes, it is, and the rest you will have to figure out on your own. But there is is one thing we can do now that will help strengthen this 'potential' feeling," Liz grinned and resisted the urge to lick her lips. Skoodge looked so good in his outfit, she had been dying to do this the entire time.

"What? The test?" Skoodge asked and his antenna began twitching as her scent intensified.

"Yeah," Liz said touching his tie and feeling the material between her fingertips. "We've done it before, but not with these intentions." She looked up at him and gave him a saucy smile. "Keep up the rhythm if you can," she instructed before grabbing his tie and yanking his head forward so she could catch his lips with hers.

* * *

><p><strong>:) Wait till next Sunday for the continuation!<strong>

**So, here's what happened to Skoodge just now and a little sneak peek into understanding how i'm viewing Irken development. However, if you want to find out about the details along with the characters then skip this part.**

**My idea is that Irkens, unlike humans, don't produce any hormones or very few on their own. (Which is why some Irkens can grow tall but not mature)They need an external stimuli for the maturing process to take place. Traditionally this would be why taller Irkens were held in such high regard and why smaller Irkens would want to be around them. Taller meant more mature. **

**Once an Irken reaches the saturation point from the hormones taken in from the environment/other mature Irkens, they produce the chemical on their own and thus become fully mature aka ready to reproduce, and also become a source for other immature Irkens to receive hormones so they can mature...and so on and so forth. **

**Traditionally this process would also be expedited when one Irken became interested in another, especially if it was a mature Irken interested in one that had yet to reach the saturation point. The mature Irken's body would produce more of the needed chemical to make sure the interested party could reach maturity faster, and if the immature Irken was also interested they would soak up the chemical like a sponge.**

**Fortunately****, the hormones humans naturally produce is similar enough to the hormones needed for them to stimulate growth, so when all the human children around them began to grow and produce their own hormones Skoodge and Zim were able to start their growth process. However to reach fully maturity the hormonal scents given off by humans wouldn't be enough to finish their maturing process, they would need a more specific type of hormone/chemical that would trigger that last step...you guessed it pheromones. **

**While there has been no study that 100% proves that humans give off pheromones that we can detect from each other, I'm sure a highly scent sensitive species would pick up on them no problem. So for the sake of my story, humans do give off pheromones we just don't pick up on them, our senses aren't that great.**

**As the story progresses it will be explained how the Irken race came to be what it is now and why there are no fully mature Irkens... well except for Skoodge. (side note: final height in an Irken is determined through genetics, much like humans: we all start at similar sizes but as we get older/mature our final heights are different)**


	17. Chapter 17

**What's this? Early upload? Happy Valentines Day! Thanks to everyone who is reading my story. **

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><p>Skoodge sensed the shift in her emotions, she no longer had the slightly submissive scent, but a more powerful one. However, he liked this one as well. She then grabbed his tie and pulled him closer to start the kissing ritual. The action startled him and his antennae shot straight up in surprise. Her scent surrounded him and he was finally able to fully examine the sensory experience. Her body pressed against his and he was surprised at how squishy the flesh mounds on her chest were against his chest. Her lips pressed firmly against his were soft.<p>

His antennae fell forward, unconsciously seeking another set to rub against to gather scent, when they felt nothing they fell further down until they bumped against Liz's head. The moment Skoodge's antennae touched her hair it felt as if Liz's scent wrapped around him. Excited that they had found what they were looking for his antennae rubbed against her hair, entangling themselves in the silky strands.

He felt her lips pull into a smile against his and her scent told him she was happy, amused, and a hint of something else, something he didn't know but it was this scent he found intoxicating. It was this scent that flipped the last switch in his PAK and he wanted more of it. He received just that as Liz began to move her lips, it didn't take him long to catch on. He moved with her following her motions and enjoying the sensations. She snaked her arms up and around his neck pressing herself closer and he followed suit moving his arms around her. Their movements became more intense as her scent surrounded him, blocking out everything but her. He wanted to taste more of her and his thin tongue slipped out to slide along her lips.

Surprisingly, she opened her mouth further and her own wide flat tongue wrapped around his pulling his tongue in. At first Skoodge was slightly worried that she was going to bite him, but that thought flew from his mind as she began sliding her soft tongue along his. Again the sensations became overwhelming and he took the opportunity to explore her mouth, tasting her.

From his tongue, to his lips, then down the rest of his body, Skoodge felt tingles of electricity as every part of him began to feel alive. He wrapped his long thin tongue around hers and squeezed as he tightened his grip around her, to let her know that he had her completely captured. She made a low moaning noise that made him grin. She gave off the intoxicating scent in full force and her body melted against his. To further trap her, he carefully moved her backwards until she was trapped between him and a large tree.

Their tongue movements continued and Skoodge could tell that he had taken the dominant role, and he smiled in his victory. Her leg hooked around his ankle ensuring that he wouldn't pull away. He began to feel a building tension his his squeedlyspooch as the electric feeling along his skin intensified. He felt an odd but pleasing tension begin to build in him, but then Liz pulled away as her scent shifted suddenly to anger, worry and a hint of fear.

Not finding these scents nearly as appealing he allowed her to separate their mouths. Her head turned and she glared into the trees. Feeling her tense Skoodge's antennae shot up and he turned to follow her gaze. He immediately felt aggressive, something had bothered her and he would not stand for it.

"There it is again," she muttered and lightly pushed against his chest so she could step to the side. Skoodge let her go, his focus, like hers, on the trees surrounding them.

"I don't sense anything," Skoodge said his antennae nor other senses picking up any signs of disturbance.

"I don't know,"Liz said rubbing the back of her neck. "It's happened a few times now, I feel like someone or something is watching me. My intuition about this is pretty good, but I haven't been able to pinpoint the sensation. I can usually tell when I'm being followed and this feels similar...and it's gone, maybe I'm losing my touch."

"You did not notice me," Skoodge pointed out.

"Well, I did back in the park, but I lost track of you while I was trying to keep GIR from giving away our hiding places to that cop. And I'm pretty much deaf to anything but my music when I'm playing. Speaking of," Liz said looking around. "Where did GIR and M&M go?"

"M and M?" Skoodge repeated.

"Mini Moose," Liz clarified. "It felt weird calling him a name that was just naming what he was."

"Oh," Skoodge said confused again by her human logic, but didn't feel the necessity to question it. "I sent them away."

"Why?" Liz asked.

"I did not want them to interfere."

Liz turned thoughtful as she studied him. "What's dating, courtship, like for your people? How different is it? You caught on real quick," she said and Skoodge sensed that subtle scent filling the air again.

"Courtship?"

"What we're doing. A way for two individuals to test each other out to see if they are a good match for a partner, er, mate," Liz tried to explain in a way he would understand.

Skoodge nodded and grew thoughtful, as he spoke he confirmed his suspicions. "No Irken behaves in such a way. There is no need to reproduce because we use cloning tubes, so there is no need for partners." Skoodge grew serious. "I have never heard of another Irken growing as much as Zim and I have in such a short period of time and I never experienced as many emotions when I was shorter. And I have also just now become an adult."

Liz chuckled. "Skoodge, locking lips and exchanging a kiss, no matter how hot, doesn't make you a man."

"No, I became an adult just before when I felt you call to me. Your scent, your movements, they called to me and I felt the shift in my PAK. I feel different, I am using more of my biological brain instead of my PAK."

"Oh, is that a good or bad thing?" Liz asked still not completely understanding what he was talking about.

Skoodge thought about that question. "I believe I am the only fully-matured Irken in existence."

"What, really? How is that even possible? Everyone grows up eventually, it's just a matter of time," Liz said.

"No, I don't know why or how, but there is something about this planet that has changed Zim and I. When I came here I was a short ugly Irken and I was not expecting to get any taller. Now I am a tall, fully matured Irken. Something on this planet made me grow, but I know that it was your scent that made me a mature adult," Skoodge said stepping closer. "Something has changed and now I feel like an invader again, but stronger, smarter, better than I could have been when I was short and ugly."

"You're not ugly Skoodge," Liz chastised him.

"When I was short-"

"-You were not ugly," Liz interrupted then smiled a little. "You were a cute little butterball. I'm kind of jealous I didn't get to see you when you were smaller."

"How do you know what I looked like?" Skoodge asked not believing her but feeling warm inside regardless.

"Oh, well Dib has pictures and..." Liz trailed off as she looked away and her blood candies flushed her face. He recognized the scent as her embarrassed one, he liked this scent. It made his invader blood race. She had a secret, like the singing, and he wanted to know what it was.

"And?" he prompted.

"And so I saw them," she said stubbornly.

An idea occurred to Skoodge. He did not like seeing Liz upset when it was not his doing and he wondered if the same applied to Liz. Wanting to test this theory out, Skoodge let his antennae droop. "You are lying. I was very short and ugly. You must have seen a picture of Zim." Seeing his expression, Liz's face softened, she then rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, fine, I'll prove it to you," she said reaching back into her pocket she pulled out her wallet, what humans carried their monies in. In one of the little pockets she pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to him.

Curious, he opened the paper and was surprised to see that it was a photo of himself, most likely taken not long after Dib found out he was living with Zim. "Why do you have this?

"Er, I might have accidentally stolen it from Dib's room," Liz said fidgeting with the end of her braid.

"You keep a picture of me with your monies?" Skoodge asked as his squeedlyspooch lurched in a fluttery and pleasant way. "You think I have value?" He asked not having to feign the uncertain but hopeful tone in his voice.

She blinked at him startled by his hesitantly hopeful voice. Her face softened and she smiled and filled the air with a scent that made Skoodge feel like he was wrapped in a warm soft blanket. "They certainly did a number on you, huh?" she mused and plucked the picture out of his hands then placed it safely back in her wallet. "But yes, you tall stupid alien, I think you have a great value. After all, you caught my interest. It takes a very special individual to catch Liz Membrane's eye," she smirked. "If you want me to be yours you're going to have to work hard, I'm not so easily captured. But you've come farther than any other," she said then turned and picked up her violin case, over her shoulder she asked, "You coming? It's getting dark."

Skoodge looked around and realized that it indeed was almost dark, the sun was setting. The thought of Liz walking alone through the woods where something may or may not have been watching her made his antennae flatten aggressively. "I will bring you back to your base."

At his serious tone Liz quirked an amused eyebrow, "Protective much?" she teased.

"Yes," Skoodge replied seriously. "I will allow no one else to catch you."

Hiding her smile, Liz turned and began walking back with Skoodge quickly following after her. "I told you, Skoodge, I'm not so easily caught."

* * *

><p>Jackary paced anxiously across the room. "No no no no no no no no," he mumbled to himself over and over.<p>

_I told you,_ the demon said and this time tried to use a firm but gentle tone. _She is completely corrupted. You saw how she approached that freaky green boy, how she seduced him and corrupted him into wanting her. You have to stop her._

"No no no no no NO NO NO!" Jackary said louder and angry. "Shut up! She is my Angel, she is pure and beautiful and science. It's not her doing. It's this world." Jackary nodded as a sudden idea came to him. "Yes, yes," he mulled it over, chewing on his thumb. "This, this is my purpose."

The demon waited for Jackary to continue, he read his host's mind right before he entered his body, but he was not privy to the human's thoughts despite the fact that the demon was communicating directly into his mind. They shared a body, not a brain. _There is no other way,_ the demon pressed. _It's not murder if it's salvation. _

The demon needed a blood sacrifice if he was going to obtain a physical body. Only the most powerful and high level demons had physical bodies that functioned outside of their realms. However, if he could get his host to kill then the death energy would give him all he needed to manifest enough life force to create a physical body for himself. Then he could finally get human life force fresh, and not the watered down bland shit they passed out.

Not that anyone complained about the taste, not even he spoke ill about how things were run in his realm. Ever since the new king took over three hundred years ago things have been good. The higher-ups found a way to harness life force in bulk and distribute it among all demons, which meant no fighting or killing lesser demons for what little life force they had just so the more powerful demons could eat. No, he wasn't complaining about that, especially because he was a lesser demon. It was just that he longed to try what fresh, undiluted life force tasted like. And as a bonus if he could gain a physical body he wouldn't be a lesser demon anymore and he could work topside and get all the fresh life force he wanted.

"No!" Jackary protested once again. "I won't corrupt her further by damaging her. It's not her fault," he repeated. "It just isn't the right time. She has to go back," he mumbled.

_Go back how? What do you mean?_

"I-I might have worked too hard, too eagerly for her awakening. It was all thanks to my accelerated efforts that she was cured of imperfections from her past life and was able to wake up. I helped her become pure, but the world isn't pure. She has to go back to sleep. It's my duty, I'm the only one who can. Once she is safely back asleep I can help rid her of impurities again. She is not meant to walk on his earth. Only asleep can she be pure." As Jackary spoke his idea became more and more solid in his mind. It was the only thing that made sense. She had to go back into the cryo-freezing chamber. His sleeping Angel should have remained sleeping.

The demon's first instinct was to protest and press his host to just kill her. This girl was of particular value because she wasn't yet part of the collective. She still had all of her life force to herself, and if he understood correctly she was the same young girl from that exorcist Family, the one that killed the previous King and thus allowed for this new ruler to step up and change everything. If he could kill a member of that once hated Family then he would have a very good chance at getting into some very influential demonic circles.

However, he didn't think he would be able to persuade his psychotic host into killing the girl. Instead he would just have to wait until his host completed his wish, which was to 'purify' this girl. After granting his host his desire and they froze the girl, he would use possession as his price of payment and just kill the sleeping and defenseless girl himself. Then his stupid host would have to watch as his own body killed his precious 'Angel'. When the demon was free from his host with a body of his own, and his contract to do no harm to his host's body nullified, he would take his ex-host's deliciously anguished soul. It was a perfect plan.

_That is a perfect plan. _

"Yes, I think so," Jackary said brightly. "Firstly, I will have to prep one of these old lab rooms to support a cryo-frezeing tube. No one comes back here, and they already started using the old lab for something else. It will take some time to prepare everything. I just hope my Angel will be well until then," Jackary said frowning in worry.

_Have faith, you are the chosen one. Any corruption she receives you will have the power to purify. _

"Yes, yes, you're right," Jackary nodded. "But still I will start right away, there is much to do."

* * *

><p>Far away from Earth, months away even in the fastest spacecraft was planet Irk; homeworld to the Irken race. Deep underground away from the planet's surface was the smeetry, where all Irken children were born and trained. Overlooking the smeetry was a single office with one Irken on duty. His job was to oversee the robot arms and make sure they were functioning properly. However, they were made from the best Irken technology and never had any problems.<p>

So in actuality his job consisted of eating snacks and finding ways to pass the time. He had been assigned to this job a few years ago after the previous Irken finished his turn, which was a few hundred years long. Even so, he had already counted all the buttons, bolts and screen pixels in his office. Nothing ever happened and it was very, very boring, but he made a decent amount of monies with this job so he couldn't complain.

Because it was so boring and because nothing ever changed, when he heard a slight 'beep' behind him it caused the startled Irken to yelp and flail out his arms. Unfortunately, his snack today had been a box of his favorite candies and the motion sent them flying out of the box and onto the floor. He scurried around on the floor for a good while desperately trying to collect his fallen candies and with a relieved sigh placed the last one safely back inside the box.

When he looked up from the floor the Irken stared in surprise at the screen behind his chair. Along the back wall there was a simple screen that used to always display a circle. It had always been a circle and he had no idea what it meant. And the Irken who had this job before him did not mention anything about it so he always thought it was an odd decoration. But now instead of a circle there was a straight vertical line.

He stared at the line for the rest of his shift, but still it did not change. In fact nothing happened except for the replacement of that circle to a line. Maybe he was being rewarded for his good work by getting a new office decoration. Seeing no other possible answer the Irken decided on that conclusion and went home whistling happily to himself.

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><p>Liz waved cheerfully good-bye to Skoodge as she closed the front door. He reluctantly waved back not happy with having to let her go. She could tell he was going through some difficult internal struggles and decided on not adding more fuel to the fire as her first instinct had been to give him a flirty good-bye. She was pretty sure that if she pressed him he might just drag her back to his base and keep her there.<p>

If what Skoodge told her was true, that he was now a fully matured adult and possibly the only one, then he was going to have a hard time controlling his behavior. After all, he had no guidelines or models to follow, no examples of what 'adult' behaviors to expect and no one to answer questions. Liz could sense the difference in him, so she didn't doubt his claim, but she still didn't know what 'fully matured' meant.

He responded well to her kiss, _very_ well. So Irkens had to have some sort of physical intimacy encoded into their genes. However, when they were kissing their bodies had been pressed together very closely and she hadn't _felt_ anything. So she had no idea what an Irken was like physically and Skoodge clearly said he had no idea how to 'mate', but that was a problem for down the road.

Skoodge was usually very laid-back with a soft but serious demeanor, however today even at skool she saw a different side to him. It was like a possessive switch was being turned on and off in his brain. And it wasn't just possessiveness—like jealousy—but almost primitive. There was too much she didn't know, she would have to flirt very carefully with Skoodge. Liz had been very serious when she told him he would have to convince her to date him.

Liz was sure Skoodge didn't 'love' her, but he was attracted in some way and she knew he found her interesting. She also liked Skoodge and she was attracted to him, but love? Love wasn't something she was personally familiar with. Many had fallen in love with her, well, infatuated might be the more accurate term, but that was early high school and no one dared date her after she brought home her first potential boyfriend to meet her 'Family'. Liz chuckled at the memory, boy could that kid _run. _After that no one dared openly confess, and the more aggressive attempts at her affections stopped pretty quickly as well. Those were the ones she missed the most. It had been fun playing helpless right up to the point where she kicked their ass. It had also been a fun challenge on her part to keep those rendezvous a secret from her Family, as they would have done a lot worst.

Skoodge would be a fun new challenge. He was definitely a lot stronger than his personality made him out to be, she could tell by the way he held her today. She was slightly jealous of Dib that he was able to fight so freely with Zim, she missed sparring with her brother and the other members. Maybe she could push Skoodge's new primitive side just enough so they could fight too. The challenge would be finding that balance. She wouldn't want to overstep anything and upset this new delicate relationship either. After all he was a fantastic kisser and she did _not_ want to miss out on that experience again. Just thinking about it had her grinning.

It might have been a good thing that Liz was in the position she was now. Her brother certainly would start trouble with Skoodge. Dizzy was an oddly protective older brother and hated the idea of anyone showing any kind of improper interest in her, and that kiss had been far from proper. Skoodge's possessiveness would certainly have clashed with her brother's protectiveness. On second thought, Liz was kind of upset that she wouldn't have front row seats to that fight.

Thinking of her brother she remembered the pile of stuff waiting for her in her room. Violin case in hand Liz gleefully bound up the stairs and into her room. It was all still there, just like she left it. Like a little kid at Christmas Liz dove into the boxes and cases rediscovering her old treasures, clothes, books, jewelry, her art portfolio, sheet music, small little trinkets she had collected over the years, and her most favorite of treasures her little MP3 player. Immediately she dug through the boxes until she found the plug to charge it. Praying with everything she had, Liz plugged it in and almost cried with joy when the little orange light went on, telling her it was charging.

While she waited for her MP3 to charge, Liz went through the rest of her stuff and began putting them away in her room, which took a lot longer than she expected it to as each item triggered a memory and as she reminisced it slowed her progress. Glancing at the clock Liz was and wasn't surprised when she found it was almost midnight. She just had one small box left, an office box full of files and things which she found uninteresting. But it was the last one and even though it was late she was still wired, might as well finish the job.

She opened the box and picked up the first file. Inside was a spreadsheet of what looked like vials signs and medical notes, she almost lost interest right there, thinking that a box from Membrane Labs had accidentally been mixed in with her stuff, but the date in the corner caught her attention. It was the date she was frozen. With new eyes Liz reviewed and really read the note. It was about her, typed up reports and medical notes about her, notes that Dizzy wrote, er, typed.

Now hungry for more, Liz pulled out all the files. She understood none of the medical mumbo-jumbo and all the spreadsheets meant nothing to her, what she hunted for were the small little footnotes at the end of the progress notes, things that her brother typed himself over the days, weeks, months, years that he researched.

_Vitals stabilized. No signs of machine malfunctions. I miss her already... Test 007 failed. The mission wasn't a success, I'm no James Bond heh... vitals stable... Test 025 failed. Need more information... No new results found... Test 058 failed, human genetics need more advancement... No new results found, advancements being made in medical technology...new technology yields no results. Need more advancement in genetic encoding...Test 105 failed. Full understanding of human genetics limited... Test 159 failed. Ran out of pre-taken samples. Had to stimulate the vitals, through semi-animation to gain more samples. She looks angelic while asleep, almost makes me forget how impish she could be... Test 216 failed, funding low... No changes in condition. Funding extinguished. Looking for side projects...Vitals stable. Side research successful. Funding increased...Test 234 failed...Test 271 failed...Test 347 failed. I'm so sorry...Failed... Failed... I failed you...I'm a failure... Failure... Failure... Failure..._

Liz felt herself tear up as she read Dizzy's anguished notes. He worked so hard for her. Tried so hard. Dedicated so much. She flipped through the next few notes but they had no footnotes on them, just the usual spreadsheets and vital signs and the lists of failed experiments. Liz felt her anxiety growing as she continued to flip through. What happened to her brother? Dib was alive so it meant that Dizzy had some semblance of a life, right? The Membrane name survived, so what happened to her brother?

The last note in the box was no different from the others and despair gripped her heart until she noticed the white envelope in the back of the box. Flipping it over it read 'To Lizzy' in her brother's handwriting. There was a bit of weight to the envelope and she could feel something inside it. Opening it up a small piece of plastic and metal fell into her hands, it looked like it plugged into a computer.

It took her brain a few seconds to comprehend what she held in her hand, but when it did..._A message!_ Liz bolted up. It was a message to her from Dizzy. It had to be! He was much too into computers to just write her a letter, there had to be a document or audio recording or maybe even a video on it. Liz didn't bother knocking as she bust into Dib's room, the thought of seeing, hearing, her brother again taking over all her thoughts of manners.

"DIB! Dib! Dib?" Liz's eyes darted around his room, but he wasn't there and his bed was empty. She dashed downstairs thinking that he was maybe watching TV but all of downstairs was dark. "What time is it?" Liz mused aloud wondering where he could be. She checked the clock in the kitchen and was surprised to see it was two in the morning. She checked the last place she could think of in the house, but when she called down into the basement lab she didn't hear a response, not that she expected to as the lights were all off. Peeking through the blinds in the front she didn't see his car in the driveway either.

Thinking that he hadn't come home because he was still upset with her, Liz went back up to her room to call him on her cellphone. It rang, but he didn't pick up and she left a voicemail telling him to call her and let her know he was at least okay. She texted the same message to him just in case, but received no response. Worried now that he might have been hurt or in an accident she called hospital and asked if anyone by the name of 'Dib Membrane' had been admitted. Surprisingly, the hospital recognized the name and said that they hadn't seen him in a few months. Apparently, he had been a frequent patient, probably from his fights with Zim.

At that thought Liz texted Zim, but he didn't respond and she called but he didn't answer, he never set up his voicemail so she couldn't leave him a message either. Maybe they were both fighting and couldn't answer their phones. She tried calling Skoodge instead. He picked up on the first ring.

"Liz?" he answered hesitantly, never having received a call from her before. She just texted him when she needed to tell him something that couldn't wait until she saw him next. She might have found his uncertain tone cute if it weren't for the fact that she was worried about Dib.

"Hi, Skoodge, sorry for calling so late. Did I wake you?"

"Irkens don't need to sleep very often."

"What? Really?" Liz said surprised despite herself, but she quickly moved on getting back to the point. "Have you seen Dib? His car is gone and he isn't answering his phone."

There was a slight pause on Skoodge's end before he answered, "I have not seen Dib-human."

"Is Zim missing too?" Liz asked, if both were M.I.A it meant they were together fighting and she could go to sleep without worry.

"Zim is in his lab," Skoodge said and Liz felt her anxiety increase.

"Damn, okay. Well, call me if you see Dib. I'll see if I can get a hold of his paranormal group, maybe they sent him out on a last minute thing."

"I will call if I see Dib," Skoodge agreed after a short pause again.

"Thanks, Skoodge, 'night."

"Yes, it is," Skoodge responded in his usual manner before Liz hung up. A small smile tugged at her lips at his response. He was always so serious to the point that she found it cute.

Shaking her head Liz pocketed her phone and went back to Dib's room. She thought about waking Gaz and letting her know Dib was missing, but Liz didn't think it was wise to wake Gaz when there was still options for her to try. Besides when Gaz was asleep the 'don't enter' aura around her door was extremely off-putting, Liz didn't want to risk pissing Gaz off. Liz would tell her in the morning, there were only a few hours left till then anyway. In the meantime she would turn on Dib's computer and see if there was someway she could contact anyone from the Swollen Eyeball, they would be able to tell her if he was on a mission for them.


End file.
